Wild Parties and Late Night Calls
by DoubleBubble96
Summary: Rachel vowed to never drink again but every now and then it is good to have a little fun, but will too much fun result in dangerous confessions or horrible heartaches?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi everybody! So I realized that I have never written a story about Rachel partying in season two and actually showing it before and thought it would be fun to try. This is set after Original Song where everything before happened but some events after may change.**

**Please read and review to let me know what you think. I hope you aren't all sick of my writing but if you are, that's okay. Let me know either way.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. That belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox.**

It was an ordinary Saturday evening for Rachel as she sat alone in her room practicing for glee club. It could have been different however if Rachel had accepted Noah's party invitation to celebrate the win of Regionals like the rest of the club had. Rachel declined, remembering her promise to never drink alcohol again after the mishap that had occurred during alcohol awareness week. It seemed like she was the only one who cared about keeping the promise that they had made to Mr. Schuester about the dangers of drinking and competition.

She had never spent much time thinking about how every one of them was breaking their promise till now when she was taking a break from practicing another original song. It saddened her to think that the club would go back on their word to Mr. Schuester. Sure they all had his number in case of an emergency had happened but that would mean admitting that they broke the pledge. She wouldn't stoop to their level and join them even if it seemed like fun to go out.

She had more important things to do such as practice for Nationals which was not only important for the club to win but her future career as a Broadway star and songwriting future. So after taking a ten minute break, Rachel put her music back on and started again. It was only ten minutes into her rehearsal when she heard her phone go off. Annoyed that someone was cutting her off from her practice time, she got up to see who would be interrupting her.

_Finn_ read the name on the screen. Rachel sighed and flipped open the phone.

"Hello, Finn," Rachel said casually, even though she knew exactly where he was at.

"Rachel, hi. What are you up too?" he asked.

"I'm practicing, like you should be doing," Rachel said annoyed as she could hear loud music in the background.

"It's a Saturday night, Rachel," Finn explained but Rachel failed to see the point.

"Your point is? she asked.

"Look, I know that you vowed not to drink but you should come to the party," Finn said trying his best to persuade her.

"Why? We all signed a contract if you remember," Rachel said pointing out the obvious.

"I know, but we aren't all drinking. I'm not and neither is Kurt," Finn explained. Rachel's face lightened up that at least some of the people in the club were following the pledge.

"I don't know, Finn. You saw how my party got out of control," Rachel said still feeling a bit uneasy and guilty for throwing a party while her dads were away.

"I know but it's just the glee kids. We are celebrating our Regionals win. Please, Rachel? It will be fun," Finn tried again.

Rachel thought for a moment as she was confused. Why would Finn be begging her to come to a party when he was dating Quinn again? It didn't make any sense but then again it was Finn. Once he had Rachel he didn't want her and when he didn't have her he wanted her. No matter what Finn's intentions where though, she did want to celebrate the win of Regionals with her fellow teammates.

"Rachel? Are you there?" Finn yelled snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Okay, fine. I'll come. I'll be there in fifteen minutes," Rachel sighed as she hung up on him.

She got up from her bed and made her way to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. What had she just agreed to? Why was she still thinking there was hope between her and Finn? She had already made a stereotypical needy girl drunk type at her party a couple of weeks ago, was she going to go down that road again? No, she thought. She was only going to celebrate Regionals. That was all.

As she composed herself in the mirror and told her that it was just a glee club party, she headed down stairs to tell her dad's where she was going.

"Alright, have fun sweetie," Leroy said from the couch, throwing an arm up to wave goodbye.

"Be safe," Hiram said as he gave her a hug.

"I will. You don't have to worry about me," Rachel said as she slipped a coat on and grabbed her purse.

As Rachel said, she was at Noah's house in fifteen minutes. As she pulled up, she noticed that there were certainly more people here than just the glee kids. Cars were up and down the street. Rachel finally found a spot on the side of the house, a little ways down around the corner.

She took a breath and composed herself. _It is just a party and I don't have to do anything I don't want to,_ Rachel reminded herself as she stepped out of the car. _It's just a party, it's just a party, _she kept telling herself as she walked in the front door.

There were dozens of kids in every corner of the house, on the couches, in the living room, in the kitchen. The music blasted through every room making it hard for Rachel to hear. She walked in a little bit, searching for Finn or any of the glee kids.

"Rachel! I'm so glad you came," Kurt said as he tapped her shoulder from behind.

"Kurt!" Rachel said as she turned around to hug him. They had become a lot closer ever since the whole incident with Blaine had cleared up.

"How are you? Where's Blaine?" Rachel practically yelled.

"I'm good and he is in the kitchen. I think looking for a drink. I told him to go easy, remembering that last time he kissed you," Kurt said while Rachel blushed from embarrassment from the memory.

"What made you change your mind and come to the party?" Kurt asked.

"Well Finn called me and asked to come. I wasn't going to but he persuaded me I guess saying it was only going to be glee kids," Rachel said.

"Finn called you?" Kurt asked in suspicion. Rachel could see his eyebrow rise up.

"Yes and I know what you are thinking. I don't know why he called either," Rachel said.

"Maybe he wants to get back together with you?" Kurt suggested even though that was a long shot since he was back with Quinn.

"He's with Quinn now. Why would he want me again?" Rachel asked. Kurt shrugged unsure of how to respond.

"Want to go find Blaine?" Rachel asked changing the subject. Kurt nodded and both took off in the direction of the kitchen. While on their way, Rachel turned the corner without looking and bumped into a large figure.

"Rachel!" Finn said turning to her with a smile. "I'm really glad you came," he said placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Rachel said unsure of what to say. Just as Rachel was about to talk to him, Quinn appeared causing her to close her mouth again.

"Ah, Rachel. I'm surprised to see you here," Quinn said with a certain tone filled with coldness.

"Yeah, me too actually. After my party I vowed never to drink again but I thought I could use some fun, not that I 'm going to drink," Rachel said as she rambled on. She was nervous and Finn could tell.

"Well I'm glad you are here, Rach," he said smiling at her. Rachel nodded back.

"Well I'll talk to you later. I need to go find Kurt and Blaine," Rachel said after a long pause as Finn gave her a nod. Rachel hurried into the kitchen and found them at the table.

"Rachel! There's my duet partner!" Blaine shouted, clearly giving off the effect that he had had a couple of drinks.

"Hi, Blaine," Rachel said taking a seat next to Kurt.

"Having fun?" she asked him while glancing at Kurt.

"This is the best party ever!" he shouted causing Rachel to chuckle. "Are you having anything to drink?" Blaine asked.

"No, remember we all had to sign a contract from Mr. Schue," Rachel said once again looking at Kurt.

"Right, Kurt told me about that," Blaine said. "But it doesn't look like anyone is really following it," he said. Rachel shrugged then realized that she had not seen Noah since she got here.

"Anyone seen Noah?" Rachel asked seeing as she had been there for at least twenty minutes and saw no sign of him.

"I'm right here," he said walking up behind her.

"What's up my hot, Jewish princess?" he said sloppily.

"Noah, how many drinks have you had?" Rachel asked taking in his sight.

"I don't know. I lost track. Why don't you take a shot with me on my next one and I'll start over saying it was my first one?" Puck asked.

"No, no, remember we said we wouldn't drink anymore," Rachel said.

"So, everyone else is," Puck said back.

"Yes, but we promised Mr. Schuester," Rachel reminded.

"Mr. Schuester? He's one to talk, or did you not hear his drunk dial message?" Puck answered. Rachel looked at him uneasy. He did have a point. Mr. Schuester had been drinking that night as well. _What would one little drink do to me anyway_? Rachel thought. _But I promised myself, that I wouldn't do it again. But what about my music? If I need more hit songs, I need more life experience,_ Rachel thought as she battled with herself.

"So, you in Berry?" Puck asked.

"I, I," Rachel stammered. "Rachel," Kurt said concerned as he remembered a couple of weeks ago.

"Come on, have some fun. We won Regionals and are going to New York for Nationals for crying out loud," Puck said. Rachel looked at him and a smile appeared on her face. _What will one shot do?_ she thought.

"Alright, Noah. You can count me in," Rachel said as Puck was already up filling the shot glasses. Kurt looked over to Rachel and gave her a look of concern. She smiled back, letting him know that she was only going to have one and that she knew what she was doing.

"Alright," Noah said as he placed it in front of her. "On the count of three. One, two, three!" he shouted as they both picked up and drank the glasses.

"That's my Berry," Puck said as he started to fill another one. _One more wouldn't hurt,_ Rachel thought but little did she know that one shot does lead to many, many more.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here is chapter two! I hope you all like it. Please read and review. Your reviews help me write faster and I have a lot of good things planned, so stay tuned. **

It was nearing one in the morning when Rachel finally took her last shot with Noah. There was still a large crowd in the household which meant the party was far from over but to Rachel, everything was getting dizzy and a bit fuzzy. She just got done gulping down her sixth shot of watermelon vodka when Puck started filling up the glasses once more, although his was filled with tequila instead.

"Come on, Berry! One more!" Puck shouted.

"No, Noah. I can't. I'm done for tonight," Rachel said slightly giggly and with slurs.

"Please? One more, I already filled it up," Puck urged but Rachel wasn't going to budge. She knew what her limit was after her party a couple weeks before. She had already exceeded her amount this time and knew she wouldn't be able to handle much more.

"I'm sorry, Puck. I can't have anymore. I've already had too much," Rachel said as she stood up, slightly stumbling. She grabbed onto the chair next to her to give some balance. Puck gave her a frown and walked away himself, finding another drinking buddy.

"Rachel!" Rachel heard someone say behind her.

"Kurt!" she said excitedly as she threw an arm around him.

"Rachel, are you okay?" Kurt asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, I just had a bit more than I wanted," Rachel said giggly. Kurt raised an eyebrow at her and wondered how much a bit more was.

"Come on Rachel, I'm taking you home," Kurt said grabbing her arm but Rachel not quite ready to leave yet, pulled back.

"Rachel, you're drunk. You need to get home," Kurt said.

"I'm not ready to leave yet and I'll be in trouble if I go home," Rachel said a little slurred. She knew she would be in trouble if her dads ever found out she had been drinking. She had gotten away with it a couple of weeks ago because they were out of town.

"Yes, you are. Come on," Kurt tried again.

"No, I still need to talk to Finn," Rachel said.

"Why do you need to talk to Finn?" Kurt asked confused.

"I want to know why he called me earlier," Rachel said.

"Rachel, he probably called you to come celebrate Regionals. This more than likely has nothing to do with wanting to get back together with you," Kurt said a little surprised at his tone. He didn't mean for it to sound hurtful but he was just telling Rachel the truth. "He's with Quinn and that's not going to change again," Kurt added. Rachel looked at him surprised. She didn't understand why he was acting this way when he was supposed to be her friend.

"Why are you being so mean, Kurt? I thought we were friends now," Rachel said as she folded her arms across her stomach.

"We are friends, Rachel and I'm sorry for being mean but you know that's the truth," Kurt said.

"No, it's not," Rachel said. "He will come back to me and leave her just like before," Rachel said trying to hold back the tears. That shot Noah had offered her before she was done was sounding very good to her at the moment.

"Rachel, come with me. Let's get out of here," Kurt tried again seeing her vulnerability seep through. He wasn't going to leave her alone and drunk at a party.

"No, you go on ahead. I need to clear my head," Rachel said as she quickly turned and headed the opposite direction, ignoring Kurt's call for her.

Rachel quickly turned the corner and up the stairs where it was less crowded. She needed to clear her head and think about everything. She came to the bathroom and knocked but it was occupied so she traveled further down the hallway. She came to Noah's room and knocked once. When she heard no reply, she gently pushed the door open. It was surprisingly empty which Rachel would have for sure thought Noah would be in his bed with a girl.

She sat down on his bed which was surprisingly clean and well kept. She didn't think Noah was the type to clean. After just sitting for a couple of minutes in silence, Rachel finally started thinking of a plan. A plan not only to figure out Finn but one that she could tell her dad's about why she was drunk and upset.

While Rachel was in deep thought, the door swung open, revealing Noah and Lauren kissing heatedly.

"Berry!" Puck shouted when he noticed her on his bed.

"I'm sorry. I'll just be on my way," Rachel quickly said as she sprung up from the bed, embarrassed.

"Wait," Puck said as he quickly whispered something in Laurens ear. She sighed but nodded and headed towards the door to leave.

"So what's up?" Puck asked casually once Lauren had left. Rachel stared at him confused, not sure what he was up to.

"This is about Finn right?" he asked already knowing the answer after seeing Rachel's reaction to the question. Rachel continued staring at him, unsure of how to answer.

"I'm not going to answer that," Rachel said shortly with her arms folded.

"Fine, but he's with Quinn, Rachel. You need to move on like I did with Lauren," Puck said.

"I can't and I don't know why. I mean he left me for her once, he could do it again," Rachel said not daring to look Puck in the eyes to see his unconvinced look.

"Whatever, Berry just know that you don't need Finn and I hate to admit it but your song for regionals was good and that came from pain not love," Puck said. Rachel just stared at him, unsure of what to say again. Puck was right about her song. It was out of pain from Finn and she meant every word but she still wanted him.

Rachel finally looked at Puck and gave him a slight nod before turning and walking out the door. When she got down stairs, she noticed a large portion of the party goers had left. There were still quite a few kids but not nearly as many as there were when she got there.

She turned and went in the kitchen hoping to maybe find Kurt and apologize about Finn. As she was walking down the hallway, she saw the shot on the table where Noah had left it and grabbed it. She knew to never drink something that was just sitting there but it was hers and she was thirsty. After she drank it, she again didn't notice a tall figure in her way and bumped right into it.

"Sorry," Rachel muttered out embarrassedly while looking down. The tall figure had given her the idea that it was Finn who she had bumped into but when he spoke it was nowhere near Finn's voice and she immediately became embarrassed.

"Rachel? There you are," a familiar voice said. Rachel looked up puzzled and even more embarrassed now that she knew who's voice it was.

"Mr. Schuester? What are you doing here?" she asked slightly in shock.

"Kurt called me to come get you. He got my number from Finn and said that you refused a ride home from him and said that you were too drunk to drive on your own," Mr. Schue explained looking at her worriedly and taking in her appearance. He noticed that she had lack of balance and was slurring her words.

"Where is Kurt?" Rachel asked still not sure what to make of the situation.

"He left. He and Finn took Blaine, Tina, Mike, Quinn, Mercedes and Sam home," he said. "He called because he didn't want you to be left alone and I'm glad he did," he added still seeing the confused look on her face. "How much have you had, Rachel?" he asked with concern.

"Umm I think only six or seven shots," Rachel said casually while Will looked at her surprised.

"Rachel," he said in a warning tone but backed off remembering that he said he would be there for his students if they had ever called him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to judge," Will said quickly while Rachel just looked at him.

"Are you ready to go?" Will asked after a long pause. Rachel looked at him unsure but agreed. She needed a ride and she couldn't drive and since Kurt left her for her teacher, she might as well take it.

"Good. My car is just out front," Will said as he lead Rachel back through to the front of the house and out the door. It was a lot tougher than Will had imagined because Rachel had no sense of coordination or balance. At one point she almost fell over into a bush outside of the front door but Will caught her. She grabbed onto his collar of his shirt, accidentally brushing his neck when Will caught her, and his breath hitched in his throat. She giggled embarrassedly and he looked away, unsure of what to say.

He pushed the awkward moment away as they finally made it to where his car was parked. It was parked on the side of the street, almost by Rachel's. He opened her door first and she quickly followed in. Silence crept into the car as Will drove Rachel home.

"Rachel, can I ask you something?" Will asked seeing as Rachel was oddly quiet. He would have thought that she would have been even more of a talker when she was drunk.

Rachel looked up confused but nodded at him to continue.

"Why did you drink? You said that you would never drink again after the assembly," Will asked. Rachel looked at him, unsure of how to respond. She did remember saying that but sometimes promises get broken but she had to tell him something better than that.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Schuester. It seems like all I do is think about glee club and when Finn called me to come celebrate the regionals win, I decided it was time to have some fun. I really didn't plan on drinking this much though," Rachel said as non-slurred as she could make it. She accidently burped though and looked away embarrassed.

"Well I hope you learned your lesson this time," Will said looking over at her. He hated seeing his glee kids in such horrible states. If he knew anything about drinking, it would be that Rachel would have a serious hang over in the morning.

"I did, Mr. Schuester. Thank you for the ride, and thank you for answering Kurt's call," Rachel said.

"You're welcome, but why didn't you want a ride from Kurt again?" Will asked curious to know.

"We were arguing about Finn," Rachel said unsure if she should go on. She actually wanted to talk to someone about Finn but she didn't want to burden her teacher with her personal life and she thought that he wouldn't want to hear about it either, but then again here she was sitting in his car getting a ride home from him so he must not care that much.

"What about Finn?" Will asked before Rachel was going to continue anyways.

"That he is back dating Quinn," Rachel said bitterly.

"They are?" Will asked confused. He couldn't keep up with all the relationships the glee club kids had. They had almost tried every dating combination possible. Rachel even had a crush on him once even though it was a year ago. Will laughed in his head at the thought but Rachel's explanation of Finn made him focus again.

"Yes and it hurts you know?" Rachel stated rather than a question. Will turned serious again because he did know. Finn was never one to stick around. Once he had Rachel it seemed like he didn't want her and now it seemed that he wanted her again.

"I know. I've been there before," Will said thinking about Emma. It was very similar to Rachel and Finn Will suddenly realized. Will had Emma and then they broke up, Emma married Carl and he was with Holly but he knew deep down that Holly wasn't meant for him. Holly wasn't the type for relationships and although they were having fun, he knew it wouldn't last much longer.

"I'm sorry about Ms. Pillsbury marrying that dentist," Rachel said shyly after a couple minutes of silence. Will looked over confused. Did the whole school know about his personal life? Then again Rachel was in glee and he and the glee club were a family. They told each other all their problems, even Will, even though he knew that he shouldn't be sharing his personal life with his students. He found that it was surprisingly easy to talk Rachel though and she never seemed to mind, so he continued.

"Thanks, Rachel but it's alright. I messed up with Emma, but everything happens for a reason," Will said not sure if even he was buying his own words.

"I guess but sometimes it's hard to believe it," Rachel said. Will nodded and turned onto her street. Her house was the first one on the corner and he pulled into her drive way.

"You know Mr. Schue?" Rachel started to say once he put the car in park. He looked over to her, urging her to continue.

"You are a really great guy. I appreciate you picking me up and being able to talk to you. It's refreshing to be able to talk without being judged, you know? Finn didn't even come find me and offer me a ride," Rachel said. "I didn't even call you but you came anyway. I admire that," Rachel said with a smile on her face. Will looked at her a little stunned at her words and her sincerity. He wondered if that was the alcohol talking because normally Rachel would be arguing with him but he accepted her compliment.

"You're welcome Rachel. I'm here any time you need to talk. Just please promise me no more drinking?" Will asked in a serious tone.

"I promise," Rachel said as she leaned over and gave him a hug. When she hugged him, she felt something, but it was something she didn't quit know how to explain. Her heart sped up a little as her hand brushed against his neck again and traveled down lower to his back. Rachel marveled in his touch, and felt an unfamiliar feeling of safe and comfort in his strong embrace. She let go, worrying that she had hugged him for too long and he would be upset. When he didn't say anything, Rachel just smiled at him letting him know that she was glad for his support.

"I guess I should be going," Rachel said shyly again, not sure what to make of their embrace.

"Yeah, I don't want your dad's to worry," Will said a little confused himself, although he didn't know why. It was Rachel for crying out loud, his student who he just picked up from a party because she was drunk and needed a ride, nothing more.

"It's okay. I'm already going to be in trouble for drinking," Rachel said as she wondered what she was going to tell her dads.

"Just tell them the truth, Rachel. They will understand, you are only a teenager after all," Will said with a small smile.

Rachel nodded before saying, "thanks again, Mr. Schue. You really helped me out."

"No problem, Rachel. See you Monday," Will said as he buckled his seat belt again.

"See you Monday," Rachel said back with a wave.

She stood out on the drive way for a couple of more minutes to watch him drive away. She also needed some time to think about what she was going to tell her dads. Anything she came up with seemed to result in disaster in her head though. As she headed to the front door, she remembered what Mr. Schuester said, to just tell them the truth. At this point the truth was the best looking option and if Mr. Schuester suggested it, then what could go wrong?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Since I got so many lovely reviews of last chapter, here is chapter three! Thank you so much for your input on this story. I appreciate it. Please read and review and I'll see if I can get the next chapter up in the next week. Happy reading.**

Rachel headed into the house nervously. When she walked in, most of the lights were off, giving her a sigh of relief that maybe her dads had gone to bed. However, when she stepped a bit further into the kitchen to get a glass of water before bed, a light flipped on revealing her dads sitting at the kitchen table.

She could tell they were mad by the expressions they wore on their faces although almost no emotion showed. Instead a hard, long stare was given. She gulped nervously as she walked over to them, water in hand.

"Rachel, do you know what time it is?" Hiram asked as calmly as he could. He wasn't a man known for keeping things cool and collected.

"Umm I don't know," Rachel said trying to cover up her slurs. Even though they weren't as apparent, they were still there.

"Three in the morning, Rachel," Hiram answered.

"I can explain," Rachel said quickly.

"Three in the morning! What are you doing out at three in the morning?" Hiram said with even more anger.

"I was at a party," Rachel started to say but was cut off.

"Why didn't you answer our texts so at least we wouldn't be worried?" Leroy said joining in.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be out this late," Rachel said as she took a sip of water to calm herself. Then she thought back, her father's texted her? She had no idea or any idea actually where her phone was, which added even more complication.

"That doesn't cut it, Rachel. You better explain yourself," Leroy said angrily. Rachel nodded. _Just tell the truth,_ Rachel thought to herself. She had never seen her dads so mad before but maybe they would ease up if she told the truth.

"Okay, well I'm only going to be completely honest with you because it's the right thing to do," Rachel started to say. She noticed Hiram's eyes widen a little and etched with concern. He wondered how bad the news Rachel was about to tell them really was.

"I had a couple of drinks at the party and I was too drunk to drive. Kurt offered me a ride but I didn't take it," Rachel said as her dad cut her off.

"Rachel, please don't tell me you drove home drunk?" Leroy asked worriedly.

"No, I would never. Kurt called Mr. Schuester and he came and offered to take me home," Rachel said afraid to look into their eyes because she knew what would be shown there.

"Mr. Schuester came and picked you up?" Leroy asked slightly confused. He was her teacher, why would he come get their daughter? Why didn't she call them?

"Yes," Rachel said.

"Why didn't you call us?" Leroy asked.

"I didn't want to be in trouble and disappoint you," Rachel said realizing that she would be in trouble either way the situation would have turned out. Hiram and Leroy looked at each other, unsure of what to make of the conversation and Rachel's night out.

"You're lucky, Rachel, to have a teacher like him. One who cares so much about his students that he would go pick them up in the middle of the night," Hiram said after a couple minutes of silence. Rachel looked up at him and nodded.

"I know and I already feel guilty for him having to come get me but I already thanked him and everything," Rachel said remembering their surprisingly nice conversation in his car. She smiled to herself and thought once again how great Mr. Schuester really is.

"Well, I think you should go up to bed. We'll talk more about this in the morning," Hiram said with Leroy nodding. There was no point in laying out a punishment tonight when Rachel most likely wouldn't remember it in the morning.

"Alright, I really am sorry," Rachel said again as she dragged herself up the stairs, head hanging low.

She sighed once she got into her room and shut the door. She dumped her purse out on her bed, and searched though its contents to find her phone. She sighed again when she didn't find it and came to the conclusion that she either lost it at Noah's or it is somewhere in Mr. Schuester's car.

_I guess I'll get it Monday, _Rachel thought before going into the bathroom to get ready for bed. She hardly slept at all that night, as she was replaying the events of the night in her head. The car ride home particularly stood out for her.

She never really understood Mr. Schuester's intentions towards her because she always thought that he was out to destroy her career, but being able to openly talk to him every now and then, showed her a different side of him. He was always out to help his students achieve the best and that was a quality that Rachel admired.

She tried to push the thoughts of her teacher out of her head, but found that she couldn't no matter how hard she tried. It was taking over her mind and she needed it to stop before she ruined their friendship and turned it into something awkward.

After much tossing and turning, Rachel finally fell asleep. The morning came too fast though and although Rachel didn't know it, Will's prediction of her hang over was true. She immediately felt sick to her stomach when she woke up and ran to the bathroom before letting the contents of her stomach spill out into the toilet.

_Why did I let Noah talk me into drinking?_ Rachel thought as she threw up again. When her stomach settled down, she slowly made her way down stairs. Her dads were in the kitchen again making breakfast. They noticed Rachel and took in her appearance. Messy hair, most of the make-up she had on the night before still smeared on and a face that said she had a pounding headache.

"Morning," Rachel said sleepily.

"Good morning," Hiram said shortly, still mad about Rachel's behavior the previous night.

"Would you like some breakfast with that hang over?" Leroy asked sarcastically. Rachel gave him a slight glare but shook it off because she didn't want to be in even more trouble than she already was. She looked over to the pan of eggs that Leroy was scrambling but quickly looked away, as the sight of the eggs were making her stomach turn again.

"I think I'll just have some tea," Rachel said as she walked over to the kitchen cabinets. She pulled one open and pulled out a blue and gold star painted mug. She looked at it for a moment as it reminder her suddenly of the blue and gold music note tie she had given Mr. Schuester last year. She quickly shook her head and went over to fill the kettle up with water. Talking so openly with him last night opened a whole new perspective of him to Rachel and everything she ever did around him in the last year was reminded again.

The water was slowly starting to heat up and so were the looks on her dad's faces again. She knew they were going to be questioning about the previous night again so she braced herself for what was about to come.

"Rachel, as you know your father and I are not happy with your behavior of last night," Hiram started to say. Rachel just stared at him, wanting him to continue.

"We realize that you are a teenager, but you still live under our rules and the rules for drinking and curfew are clearly stated. You are to have no alcoholic drinks without permission from either of us and your curfew is 12:30 am. You broke both of those rules, Rachel," Hiram explained.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said but was cut off.

"Since this was a glee club party, your father and I have decided on what we think is an appropriate punishment for you," Leroy said. Rachel could feel the punishment before they even said it and it hurt her heart.

"You are not to attend any glee club practices or events for the next two weeks," Leroy finished. Rachel stared at them unable to say anything. Glee club was her life and if they took that away, she would have nothing. It was only two weeks but she needed all the time she could get before they went away to Nationals in New York.

"You can't do that. Nationals are coming up and we need to practice. I'm the best singer in there and they can't do it without me," Rachel said tearing up a bit. She needed to sing more than she needed air.

"I'm sorry, Rachel but a rule is a rule and a punishment is a punishment," Hiram said.

"It's only two weeks. You don't leave for New York for another four weeks after that," Leroy said.

"Fine, I'll take your punishment but singing is my life and this punishment won't stop me from hanging out with my friends in the glee club," Rachel said as she stormed off towards the stairs and up to her room, forgetting her tea.

She dropped down on her bed and grabbed a pillow. She pulled it to her face and let a loud scream out. When she was done, she let her body fall back and relax on the headboard on her bed.

She knew she deserved a punishment but two weeks of no glee club was going to be torture. Two weeks of not being able to sing and see her friends and most importantly, Mr. Schuester. She didn't even want to think about what he was going to say about her not being able to sing. He had said before that she was the best one in there and if she wasn't there then the club would be nothing.

Rachel must have fallen asleep because when she woke up, she found Noah sitting in her room, at her computer.

"Noah? What are you doing here?" she asked sleepily, while rubbing her eyes.

"I came to drop this off," he said holding her phone in his hands. "It was on my bed. You must have left it there when we were talking.

"Oh, thank you. You didn't have to come all the way over and drop it off," Rachel said as she moved to the edge of her bed.

"It's okay. I didn't have anything else to do today," Puck said as he leaned back in the chair.

"So, how grounded are you?" he asked seeing a look of sadness appear on her face.

"Two weeks of no glee club," Rachel said shortly. "I'm surprised my dad's let you in," she added.

"It took some convincing but they let me. I can't stay long though. Two weeks? That's harsh," he said.

"I know, but I deserve it though," Rachel said.

"Why? You weren't that drunk," Puck said.

"You obviously didn't see me being taken home by Mr. Schuester then," Rachel stated.

"Mr. Schuester took you home? In the words of Santana, wanky," Puck said giving her a sly grin.

"Noah! I know what you are thinking but I didn't even call him. Kurt did," Rachel said defending herself. She had told Noah one day after glee about the time she had had a crush on Mr. Schuester and how she cleaned his apartment. He understood, since he himself was into older women. Ever since that moment though, Rachel felt that she could tell Noah everything and the two had become very close.

"Whatever, was he mad at you?" he asked.

"Surprisingly, no. It was a lovely conversation," Rachel said trying to hide her smile. She didn't want to give Noah any ideas of her new found feelings for Mr. Schuester because even she didn't know what they were.

"How do you mean lovely conversation?" Puck asked prying in to find the details.

"We just talked and he didn't judge me. It was refreshing," Rachel said not wanting to go into details about Mr. Schuster's private live. She marveled in the thought that he had told her of his personal relationships and she didn't want to go and ruin it for him by telling Noah.

"That's because he likes you, Berry. You may not see and he may even not see it yet but everyone else can," Puck stated bluntly, making Rachel quickly defend her feelings.

"Noah! He is a teacher, he can't like me," Rachel said once again trying to cover her smile. The thought of her and Mr. Schuester together made her stomach swell.

"So? He better do a better job at covering it up then. We all saw the way he was looking at you when you sang Get it Right," Puck explained. "And many other occasions where he favors you," he added.

"He was just being proud. Proud of all of us, not just me," Rachel said now getting annoyed that he wouldn't drop the subject. "And he does not favor me," Rachel said even though he sometimes did.

"Rachel, you know that is a lie. You looked right over to him. I saw," Puck said. "And he does, you know he does."

"I was looking at Finn!" Rachel said remembering the moment. "Just because he lets me sing all the time doesn't mean he favors me," Rachel added.

"Okay, whatever you say," Puck said standing up. "When it happens though, remember I told you so," Puck added while walking towards her door.

"Noah," Rachel said stopping him and taking a breath. "Thank you for dropping this off," Rachel said as she held her hand up.

"You're welcome," he said as he walked out of her room.

When Noah had left, Rachel decided that she needed to apologize and thank Kurt. She quickly dialed his number and he immediately picked up.

"Rachel! How are you feeling?" Kurt asked, oddly chipper.

"Alright, I suppose. Better than this morning," Rachel said grabbing her stomach.

"Good. I take it you got home okay?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you for calling him," Rachel said. "I appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Rachel. You had to go home safely and I wasn't about to let you drive home drunk or with a stranger," Kurt said.

"I know. I'm sorry I got mad at you but you were right about Finn. I have fully accepted the fact that he is with Quinn," Rachel said proudly.

"Really? What changed your mind?" Kurt asked interested in what made the sudden transformation.

"I just had a really nice talk with someone who is going through the same thing," Rachel said leaving out Mr. Schuester's name.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, Rachel, you are not going down that road again," Kurt immediately said.

"What road?" Rachel asked curiously.

"The, I love Mr. Schuester because he listens to me road," Kurt said.

"I don't love him Kurt! And I didn't even mention his name," Rachel said once again defending herself. She wondered why she told her friends about her crush on Mr. Schuester a year ago. At least Kurt was the last one.

"It will never happen, Rachel," Kurt said being the exact opposite of Noah.

"It could," Rachel said quietly and slightly surprising herself. Did she want it to happen? Was her subconscious telling her something that she desperately wanted?

"Rachel, he is a teacher! He would be in serious trouble if he ever dated a student," Kurt said snapping her out of her thoughts. His remark made Rachel laugh for a moment in her head as she had just told Noah the same thing.

"I know he is a teacher, Kurt. I'm just saying it was really nice talking to him, he was very open," Rachel said wanting to end the awkward conversation.

"Okay, but please don't stalk him and clean his apartment again," Kurt said in a half joking and half serious tone.

"I promise, I won't," Rachel said scolding herself to let herself stoop so low.

"Well I have to go, Rachel. Talk to you tomorrow?" Kurt asked.

"Yes. I'll call you," Rachel said.

"Alright, bye," Kurt said.

"Bye," Rachel said as he hung up the phone.

She laid back on her bed, rethinking of both conversations. Noah said go for it and Kurt said it would never happen. She was unsure of whom to listen to because both of them had made accurate points. She knew it would be dangerous to date Mr. Schuester but she felt that she had something with him. Their lives weren't that different and Rachel related the most to him out of all the boys she had ever dated. He was more caring than Jessie, had more things in common than Noah and was more understanding with her than Finn.

She knew it wasn't her call though, to make something more of their relationship. If anything were to happen, it would have to have been a move made by him. She didn't want to ruin what they already had and she knew if she came onto him again, then there would be no chance.

Rachel sighed to herself as she looked over to the clock. It was only 12:30 in the afternoon but it felt much later in the day. She pulled out her stack of homework that she had to get done for tomorrow. It was doing a fine job of distracting her when her phone went off again.

She looked at it and it read _Finn. _Should she answer it? Let it continue ringing? See if he leaves a voice mail? She decided that if she truly were over Finn that she would not answer it and that was what she did. She sighed happily as she felt no regrets or sadness for not picking up. She was moving on to bigger and better things and she had one person in mind to help her do that.

Meanwhile, Will was sitting at his coffee table in the living room, looking over glee club songs that he thought would be good for Nationals and trying to figure out a budget plan. He yawned seeing as he had gotten little sleep the night before because of picking up Rachel.

"Hey there hot stuff," Holly said emerging from his kitchen with lunch in hand. She sat next to him and placed the plate of sandwiches next to him.

"Thanks, Holl," Will said leaning over to kiss her. Holly smiled at the nickname he had given her.

"What are you working on?" she asked grabbing a sandwich for her and Will.

"Set lists and budgeting," Will said yawning again as he took the sandwich.

"Boring, I think you need a break," Holly said seeing his yawn. "Why are you so tired?" she asked.

"I just didn't get much sleep last night," Will said casually. He didn't want to tell her that he didn't sleep because he was thinking of Rachel all night after he got Kurt's call to pick her up. Although it was early in the morning when he picked up Rachel, he surprisingly didn't mind. The conversation in his car was nice, which he was not used to with Rachel. It showed him a different side of her and he longed to know more.

Holly noticed his behavior had been off ever since she came over in the morning and asked him what he did last night. He seemed like he was keeping something from her but she didn't pry. She figured he would tell her if he wanted but Holly surprisingly wanted this relationship to work with Will and honesty was the foundation of any relationship.

"So you didn't do anything last night?" Holly casually asked. She wasn't the jealous type but she longed to know.

"Nope, just sat around here," Will said taking a bite out of the sandwich.

"Oh, so what are you planning on doing for this budget problem?" Holly asked changing the subject. She kept his behavior in mind in the back of her head though.

"I'm not sure, but I need to figure something out. The glee club is in desperate need of money," Will said.

"Well how about you have a benefit?" she asked.

"A benefit?" Will asked confused.

"Yeah, you get the glee club to perform songs and people donate money to the cause," Holly explained.

"You know what? That is a great idea," Will said. It was the perfect chance to let the glee club prepare for Nationals and a chance to make some money.

"Well great ideas are all I know," Holly said with a wink.

"This will be a perfect chance to let Rachel try another original song," Will said excitedly.

"True, but maybe you should focus on the other kids, Will," Holly said even noticing Will favoritism toward Rachel. She sometimes wondered if there was something more but scolded herself for thinking that Will would ever stoop to liking a student.

"Right, the other kids could try original songs again also," Will said scolding himself for his favoritism towards Rachel. The previous night only made it harder for him to not focus on her performing in glee club or anything to do with her at all.

"Well I better get going," Holly said standing up.

"Thanks for your idea, Holly," Will said as he leaned into kiss her. It was a short peck and Holly wondered again if anything was bothering him.

"Bye, Will," she said as she walked out the door, deciding not to ask again.

"Bye," Will said with a wave. When she left, he put down his pen and paper and went into the kitchen. He couldn't wait to tell the club tomorrow about Holly's idea. He hoped they would be just as excited and that Rachel wouldn't mind taking another crack at song writing, but little did Will know that his idea for Rachel was about to come crashing down.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here is chapter four! I intended to get this up much sooner but I got a job and then I was sick on and off with a bad cold and stomach pains, but alas here it is. Please read and review for I am excited to write what is coming next!**

The rest of Sunday pasted by in a slow motion blur for both Rachel and Will. Rachel was too focused on her new found feelings for Will and her punishment while Will was focusing on the benefit concert and the previous talk with Holly. Finally though, Monday approached which made for a very nervous Rachel. This was the first time she would be seeing Mr. Schuester since he picked her up on Saturday and she knew that she had to go apologize to him again and to tell him about glee.

As she got ready for school, she rehearsed in her head what she would tell Mr. Schuester about her punishment. Would he be upset with her? Not be as understanding as before and kick her out even longer for realizing she broke the pledge? She pushed all thoughts out of her head though as she reminded herself how understanding he could be and headed out the door to school.

Meanwhile, Will awoke from a restless night's sleep. His mind kept replaying the conversation with Holly. Why didn't he just tell her that he picked Rachel up? She probably would have been happy that he cared so much about his students, but telling her almost seemed like what he did was wrong. It wasn't though as nothing but talking occurred and he kept telling himself that as he got ready for school.

The day was nothing special and finally it was Will's prep period before glee. He was sitting at his desk, clicking through his iPod to find suitable songs for each member of the glee club for the benefit concert. He wasn't really paying attention though as his stomach had been in knots all day, for he had not seen Holly or Rachel. He wondered if Holly was avoiding him because of the way he had been acting but Holly wasn't the one to be jealous so he crossed that out. He also wondered why he didn't see Rachel at all but remembered that glee started in thirty minutes where she would most likely be the first one there.

He finished up his business and collected his things to head to the choir room. He went over to the piano and started getting things ready for the week's lesson.

There was a light tap on the side of the door and Will looked over. He half expected Holly but it was Rachel and he gave her a wide smile.

"Rachel, you're earlier than usual today," Will said casually as he watched her move closer to him.

"Yes, I was actually hoping we could talk before glee?" Rachel asked, straight to the point. She couldn't concentrate in the library on her off campus period. Will saw the worry on her face and he nodded.

"Let's go in my office," he offered.

"No, it's okay, we can talk out here," Rachel said quickly with Will giving her a confused look. The truth was, is that she didn't want to be left alone with him in a small office. She hadn't quite figured out her feelings for him yet and she didn't want to do anything drastic. She knew there could be something between them but she wasn't going to rush to any conclusions and being in a small, closed space with him, made that a possible option.

"Okay, well, go ahead," Will said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Right, sorry," Rachel muttered out embarrassedly.

"First, I just want to thank you again for picking me up. I didn't realize how late it was at the time and I'm sorry for causing you trouble," Rachel said.

"Rachel, first off you didn't call me, Kurt did and like I said before, I'm glad he did. You needed someone to be there and I was there," Will said turning to face her.

"I know but I feel guilty but also appreciative. No other teacher would have done that," Rachel said smiling at him. Will smiled back and felt his stomach tighten up again. Why were these feelings igniting inside him all of a sudden?

"You're welcome, Rachel. I really didn't mind picking you up. It was a surprisingly nice conversation," Will said but wondered if that made him sound like a jerk because it meant every other time he was with Rachel it was annoying.

"You're right. I enjoyed it myself," Rachel said causing Will to raise an eyebrow at her because she didn't take it as a negative thing. A soft silence crept into the room as Will stared at Rachel, unable to think of something to say.

"Was that all you wanted to talk about?" Will finally asked.

"No, actually," Rachel said sadly. She was hoping that he would have forgotten and she wouldn't have had to tell him.

"I did what you said about telling the truth, and my dad's thought a punishment was necessary," Rachel started to say.

"What kind of punishment?" Will asked interestingly and worriedly. He could tell it was bad by the expression she wore on her face.

"I'm not allowed to be in glee club for two weeks," Rachel said short and to the point. It was better to just rip the band aid off.

"What?" Will asked, unsure if he heard right.

"I'm sorry, I only told the truth," Rachel said afraid that he would be mad and start yelling at her.

"I know, and that was the right thing to do but two weeks?" Will asked as more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, no practices or events," Rachel said sadly, while avoiding eye contact with him. She didn't want to see the disappointment on his face.

"Great, there goes my idea, well Hollies idea," Will said as he sighed and took a seat on the piano bench.

"What idea?" Rachel asked curiously.

"The glee club is in serious need of money for Nationals and Holly suggested that we do a benefit concert where people donate money to the glee club," Will said.

"That's actually a great idea," Rachel said surprisingly. Normally she didn't agree with other's ideas or opinions because she thought they were never as good as hers. It was something she had been trying to work on and Will smiled at her progress.

"I know, I was going to feature you and let you write another original song," Will said as he looked up to see her face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your concert," Rachel said feeling the tears prickle in her eyes again. Will noticed and took control.

"Hey, it's not your fault. You only did what I told you to do," Will said as he got up and moved next to her on the edge of the piano.

"I know, but glee club needs money and I'm sure I could have brought in a lot," Rachel said as a tear ran down her face.

"Yes, but so can the other kids. There is a lot of talent in this room," Will said once again feeling like a jerk and regretting his words. He didn't mean to sound like Rachel was the only one to ever sing. He just wanted her to remember that there were other voices in the club, which is exactly what Holly had told him yesterday. It was then that he realized he did show favoritism towards Rachel, but maybe he never noticed it before because it felt something more than that. He just never allowed himself to think that way and pushed it away.

"I know that, but singing is my life. What am I supposed to do for two weeks?" Rachel asked. She really had no other interest instead of ballet but that wasn't the same as glee club.

"It's not that long. It's going to be okay," Will said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. The knot in his stomach grew and his breath hitched in throat as he moved his hand up and down. Rachel's tears subsided as she started to relax under his touch. It made her strangely want more, so she turned towards him and leaned into him for a tight embrace.

Will was a little shocked at her sudden boldness but he protectively wrapped his arms around her and let her cry in his chest. The school bell rang signaling it was the end of the day which meant that the glee club kids would be there any moment. Will didn't push away though. He marveled in how small Rachel was against him. It made him feel strong and protective of her. She fit perfectly against him which he liked. He mentally scolded himself for thinking of such things though when he was with Holly. The thought of being her teacher though never crossed his mind.

Rachel slowly pulled away. She looked at him with tear stained cheeks and smeared lipstick that had accidentally gotten on his shirt.

"I'm sorry for that," she said shyly.

"It's okay. I don't mind," Will said because he really didn't mind being there for her.

"Well, I should go," Rachel said. Will stared at her, not saying anything because he didn't want her to leave just yet.

"Yeah, practice won't be the same without you," Will said as she got the door.

"Remember, it's only two weeks," Rachel said with a slight smile which in turn made Will smile.

"I'm here if you need me," he said quickly before she left. He wondered if she heard that last part because he truly would be there for her.

Will didn't have much time to think about their conversation though as each glee kid piled into the room. Once everyone was there, he began to start. He wondered if anyone would notice Rachel's absence but Santana answered his question.

"Hey, where is the hobbit?" she asked out loud causing Brittany and Quinn to laugh.

"Santana, I think that deserves a detention," Will said casually.

"What? You can't give me a detention," she said angrily.

"I think I can. Name calling is not allowed," Will said arguing back.

"You never cared before," she fired back. Will thought for a moment. He never had cared before and he felt sick. All this time Santana, Brittany and Quinn were making fun of Rachel by giving her rude nicknames and he never did a thing about it. He was going to change that because people mistook Rachel and her diva attitude. He knew there were more sides to her and he wanted to start showing the other kids that as well.

"Well that's going to change. No more name calling from anybody in this room. It's time we start respecting each other," Will said. Once the chatter had died down, he thought it would be best to really tell them where Rachel was.

"I know you were all at Puck's party this past weekend despite signing the pledge," Will started to say but was cut off again.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Santana commented again. Will brushed it off, not wanting to cause anymore disruption.

"Rachel is not here because she is grounded for two weeks for being at that party," Will said. The kids started chatting amongst themselves again which only aggravated Will more.

"Everyone, calm down," he said.

"Now, I know you are only teenagers but I thought we all agreed about the drinking," Will said giving them an unprepared speech. He felt somewhat as a hypocrite though as he was there for Rachel. Now he was telling off the rest of the glee club. He wasn't planning on punishing them, just giving them a good lecture.

"We're sorry, Mr. Schue but we were celebrating Regionals," Puck said.

"I know but next time don't let it get out of control, okay?" Will said. "You can always call me," he added. The kids nodded and Will continued.

"So the lesson for this week is going to be a bit different," Will began as he was about to tell them of the benefit. Even though Rachel couldn't be in it, there was no need not to still have it. He decided that he couldn't show favoritism this time and had to continue on like she was still there and the club desperately needed to make some money.

"What do you mean different, Mr. Schue?" Finn asked curiously.

"Well Ms. Holliday and I came up with an idea to raise money for Nationals. We are going to put on a benefit concert where people will donate money to hear you perform," Will said excitedly.

"A benefit? Who the hell is going to come see us?" Santana rudely said.

"Trust me guys, lots of people will want to come," Will said trying to bring some optimism in although most members didn't seem that into the idea.

"Do we have to?" Puck asked.

"Do you want to go to Nationals?" Will asked as Puck shook his head yes along with the others.

"Then yes, we have to do this. It will be fun, guys!" Will said wishing Rachel was in the room to help bring the idea across more. She was enthusiastic about it and she couldn't even perform, so why weren't the rest of the club?

"What's the catch?" Quinn asked.

"There is no catch, Quinn. You guys can sing any song by any artist and perform solo, duet or group," Will said happily as he forgot about his list of songs for them to sing. This seemed to brighten some of the kids up though.

"When will this be?" Tina asked quietly.

"I was thinking this Saturday. That gives us one week," Will said.

"Alright sounds good to me," Finn said happily with everyone else agreeing.

"Good, now for today I want you all to think about songs you would like to perform and who to perform it with," Will said. "Everybody okay with that?" he asked as they all nodded.

"Good, get to work," Will said as he clapped his hands together.

The rest of rehearsal went by smoothly with most of the songs and groups figured out. Finn, Puck and Sam were going to do some classic rock together, Brittany and Mike were going to dance together with Santana and Quinn singing, Artie was doing a duet with Tina and Mercedes was doing a solo number, while Lauren hosted the event. He also thought about including Holly and himself in a duet and reminded himself to ask her later.

"Hey there," Will heard Holly say from the door. He smiled at her as she walked into the choir room. "How did rehearsal go?" she asked.

"Good, it took some convincing but I think the kids will really like the benefit idea," Will said.

"That's great!" Holly said. "Where was Rachel today? I noticed she wasn't in the room."

"She is actually grounded. No glee club for two weeks," Will said sadly.

"That's too bad. She will be missing the benefit," Holly said. As Will began talking, Hollies mind went to right before glee started. She had wanted to talk to Will before it started but found Rachel in there already. She didn't want to be rude and barge in but the conversation was attracting her to listen.

She didn't hear much of the conversation but walked by just in time to see their embrace. Holly stopped in her tracks and watched as Will rubbed her shoulder as she cried into his chest. The bell rang causing her to jump with the fear of being caught staring. She then noticed that they were still in their embrace and she also took note of how Rachel was the first to pull away, not Will. She also noticed a red smear on his shirt. Was that lipstick? What would lipstick be doing on his shirt?

His behavior had been off ever since Saturday and Holly had a strong feeling it had to do with Rachel. Will's sudden interest to feature her in the benefit and now this hug had her extra cautious. She didn't know what to think but decided not to ask Will because she thought he would come to her if something was bothering him.

"So what do you think?" Will asked. Holly noticed he was staring at her and she had just missed his question.

"I'm sorry, think about what?" she asked. Will looked at her confused.

"I asked if you would like to sing a duet with me," Will said taking in her confused manner. "Are you okay, Holl?" Will asked.

"I'm fine and of course I would love to sing with you," Holly said with a wink. Will smiled and nodded at her.

"Good. We'll have to start looking at songs together then," Will said as he went over to the sheet music library.

Will still saw the hesitance in Holly which made him worry. Had he done something wrong and she was mad at him? Whatever it was he hoped she would come to him and tell him.

"Are you sure you are okay?" he asked again.

"I'm good, Will. Are you sure you are okay?" Holly asked and Will looked at her confused.

"Of course, never better," Will said cautiously.

"Good, then let's look at these songs," Holly said moving towards the stack of music.

"Yeah, let's," Will said. He smiled as the benefit was put in full swing. He still couldn't help but feel that something was wrong between him and Holly though. They hadn't been dating very long and if Will couldn't fix the problem he knew they wouldn't be dating much longer.

The next couple of days went by slowly, with little interaction from Holly. Will then knew that something was defiantly bothering her. He just wondered why she hadn't told him yet. She didn't come by glee rehearsal after school which made him even more curious. What Will found even more curious though was that Rachel did come around glee practice. He knew it was hard for her not to be at there but she wasn't allowed, and he didn't want to go against her father's wishes. It was only a couple of times, where Will would notice Rachel in the hallway walking back and forth across the door casually looking in. None of the other kids seemed to notice though, only him.

He thought about saying something to her, but she wasn't causing disruption and she was not technically in the choir room, so he let it slide. It actually made him happy to see her have such commitment to something and even though he didn't notice it, he missed her presence in the room. He wished she could perform in the benefit but there was no time to push it back. She would just have to wait for the next one.

Rachel knew very well what her punishment was but that didn't stop her. After school when practice was taking place, Rachel made a note to walk by. Not enough to where she would be caught but just long enough to hear what song was being sung. Although Rachel didn't know it, Will noticed her every time she walked by. Not being able to be in the choir room for two weeks gave Rachel time to think about her feelings towards Mr. Schuester and no matter how hard she tried to contain her feelings for him she knew there was something there. The last hug they had confirmed it and that was why Rachel would do anything to go to the benefit because she knew Will would be there to sing.

It was finally Saturday, the day of the benefit, and Will was anxious as he got prepared in his office. He was nervous about how many people would come and if the kids were ready. He wondered if even he was ready since little practice had occurred between him and Holly. Maybe he should have called the whole thing off and reschedule, but it was too late for that. He couldn't let his personal problems get in the way.

He fixed his tie and headed into the choir room where he found surprisingly excited teenagers ready to perform, but the room still lacked a certain amount of enthusiasm. He knew what was missing but pushed his thoughts away and got ready to focus on the concert.

"Are you guys ready?" he asked with enthusiasm.

"You know it, Mr. Schue!" Finn shouted.

"We got this," Mercedes also commented.

"Good. I'm glad that you are all pumped up and ready to go," Will said.

"Mr. Schue? Where is Ms. Holliday?" Artie suddenly asked. Will looked around the room and then at the clock. Holly was supposed to be there almost ten minutes ago.

"I'm not sure. She should be here soon though," Will said confidently. Silence crept into the room as did uneasy looks.

"Alright, so up first we have Finn, Puck and Sam followed by the group of Santana, Quinn, Brittany and Mike, then Artie and Tina and then myself and Ms. Holliday and finally Mercedes," Will said as he finished the list of performers. "And Lauren will be hosting."

"You all will be excellent, and remember to have fun," Will said excitedly. Claps and cheers took place as they all gathered in a circle. Five minutes later, Finn, Puck and Sam were all on stage singing some Queen.

Will poked his head around the curtain. There was a decent amount of people there. The room wasn't packed but it wasn't empty either. His eyes scanned the crowed and there in the back row they landed on what looked like, Rachel Berry. Will blinked again and knew it was definitely Rachel for her skirts always stood out. He wondered why she was there and how she was able to come and a smile grew on his face.

Rachel's eyes drifted to the side of the stage where she caught Mr. Schuester looking at her. He was looking at her with concern and puzzlement but was that also happiness? Rachel gave him a small smile and after the performance she slipped out of her seat and headed down to the choir room where she would have to do some explaining.

Will watched her leave her seat and he knew exactly where she was going, to the choir room. He quickly congratulated the boys as the next group went on as he went straight to his office.

He arrived quickly but what he found was not what he was expecting.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here is chapter five! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I'm so excited for you all to see what is going to happen next. Please read and review and I'll try and get the next installment up soon! **

"Holly? What are you doing in here?" Will asked, slightly confused. She was supposed to be backstage and she should have been there ten minutes ago.

"Will, we need to talk," Holly stated as she got up from the chair she was sitting on. Will was confused and didn't know where this was headed. He hadn't talked to her much and maybe she was mad for not spending enough time with her.

"Okay, about what?" Will asked cautiously.

"I'm seeing someone," Holly bluntly said. Will looked at her confused, as his mind processed the information. His eyes widened as he felt his stomach drop. This certainly wasn't what he was thinking.

"What?" Will said in disbelief. "What do you mean?" He only hadn't seen in her in a week, who could she possibly had met?

"I was subbing the other day at Carmel High and a guy started flirting with me. I was mad at you so I played along. He asked me on a date and it went really well. I think I like him, Will," Holly explained.

"What about us?" Will asked slightly raising his voice. She wouldn't just throw him away for someone she just met would she? It was Holly after all, but he thought she had at least some class. "And why are you mad at me?" Will added.

"Will, you and I knew that we were never going to last. This was just a fling and the way you have been acting lately, I just knew it wasn't right," Holly explained. Will's face was in a shock of emotion. He didn't know what to feel. Sadness? Relief? Shock? Anger? Hurt? He knew he was feeling a mixture of all of them though.

"That still doesn't answer the question," Will pressed. If Holly was going to break up with him, he wanted to know the truth.

"You've been acting distant and I can't help but think you are lying to me," Holly finally said. She didn't like bringing out her jealous side, but she couldn't control it when she was with Will.

"Lying? About what?" Will asked. It was true that he kept his interaction with Rachel the past Saturday night to himself and the thought that he had hugged her twice, which also led to confusing and unexplained feelings about her. He kept those feelings to himself though as he was trying to figure them out and didn't feel the need to explain every detail.

"About, what you did last Saturday night! I'm not one to get jealous, Will, but I know something happened and I think it has to do with Rachel," Holly said, now growing a little angry herself.

"Fine, I'll tell you. Last Saturday night, I got a call from Kurt. There was a glee club party and he asked if I could pick up Rachel. She was drunk and wouldn't go home with him. I couldn't leave her there so I went and got her," Will explained, replaying the events in his head. "Are you happy?" he added a bit angrier than he should have.

"Then why have you been acting distant if that is all that happened?" Holly still asked.

"Because I, I think, I don't know," Will said instead. This wasn't the best time to say that he might be developing feelings for Rachel. Silence crept in the room as both parties were taking in the information they had just received

"So, what does this mean?" Will finally asked.

"I think we should move our separate ways," Holly said. She had clearly thought about it enough to know that she didn't want to be with him anymore. She wasn't even giving him an option but, maybe that was for the best.

"I don't feel like performing now," she said slightly chuckling while whipping away some fallen tears. "I think I'm going to go," she added. Will nodded at her. She walked over to him on her way out and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. He closed his eyes when her lips pressed gently on his skin and he let out a sigh when she pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Will," Holly said and Will could tell that she really did mean it. He gave her a small smile even though he didn't know how he could be acting so cool when she had just admitted to cheating.

"Bye, Holly. It was fun while it lasted," Will quietly said.

"Bye, Will," Holly said.

When she was gone, he sighed to himself and paced around the choir room. He knew he should be getting back to the concert since both of them were supposed to perform soon, but he couldn't get himself to leave the room. He wanted some time to himself, to figure everything out. He wasn't sure what he was feeling as he was once again single.

He leaned his arms on the piano and started to think as he stared into the black shine. At this point in his life, Will thought he would have had a family and someone to love but as recent events happened, he started to think that was never going to come true.

"Mr. Schuester?"

Will looked up at the voice and gave a slight smile.

"Rachel, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was waiting for you but found Ms. Holliday in here, so I left and decided to come back," Rachel explained. The truth was, was that Rachel had heard the whole conversation. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop but when she heard the slight yelling and the mention of her name, she just couldn't leave. She felt horrible for being a factor in the break up and at this point she didn't know what to do about her feelings for Will.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Schuester," Rachel said noticing his lack of words.

"It's okay, Rachel, some things happen for a reason," Will said remembering how he had told her that the night of the party, when they were talking about relationships.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rachel cautiously asked.

"I don't think that is appropriate," Will said. He didn't think that he should tell a student his life's problems but then again he didn't have anyone else to tell and remembered the Rachel in his car. The Rachel that was growing on him and the one he wanted to know more about.

"You helped me with my problems. I want to help with yours. It's only fair," Rachel explained.

"Yes, but I'm your teacher, Rachel, and you're my student," Will explained.

"Then don't think of me as a student. Think of me as a friend," Rachel stated boldly. Her statement made Will's eyes widen.

"We are friends aren't we?" Rachel asked seeing his hesitation. She would like to be thought as someone he could confide in, as he was for her, and not just a glee student. After a couple of minutes of contemplation and Rachel looking at him with nothing but care, he started to tell her of his problems.

"It's nothing big, really. I just thought I would be at a different point in my life at this age," Will said. Rachel continued to look at him, with care and support, not daring to interrupt him but only when it was appropriate.

"You will find someone, Mr. Schue. You once told me that there is someone out there that would like you for you, and I think you should remember that," Rachel said. That thought made her think back to when she had a crush on him and here she was falling for him again, although this time, it was developing much different.

"You have many admiring qualities that most women would find appealing," Rachel said stating boldly again as she thought about his confidence, his caring nature and not to mention his physical attractiveness.

"Yeah, who would like me?" Will said slightly chuckling at his own pity. He was a thirty two year old divorced man, who dated a virgin and had three flings with April, Shelby and Holly.

He was starting to see a pattern in the women he had dated. They were either inexperienced or not committed and he wanted something more than that. Why it was so hard to find that, Will didn't know. Maybe he was looking in the wrong places but the place where his mind took him had a red flag above it. He couldn't cross that line even if he wanted to, but secretly maybe he did want to. He just wasn't brave enough to admit it, so Rachel did it for him.

"Me," Rachel said so quietly that she wasn't sure if she had even said it. Will's laughter went away, and his face drastically changed. Rachel hadn't looked up to see his expression. She knew she probably had just made a huge mistake by the silence that had crept into the room. She wasn't planning on telling him but being here with him made it seem right and natural.

"What?" Will finally asked, not sure if he heard right. He didn't know if he should be filled with excitement or fear, or maybe both.

Rachel finally worked up the courage to look at him, and prepared herself for the worst. He was looking at her with shock but not with anger or concern. He was looking at her with his caring and passionate eyes that were begging for an explanation, which she found a great relief.

"Mr. Schue, there you are," Finn said slightly jogging into the room. Will quickly pulled his gaze away from Rachel and looked up at the slightly out of breathe, tall, boy.

"Finn, what's up?" Will said as calmly as he could, although his tone was panicked and jumpy. Rachel noticed, but it seemed to pass by Finn.

"You are next to perform with Ms. Holliday. We have been pushing the order around while we were looking for you. What have you been doing?" Finn asked as he looked over to Rachel and noticed her presence.

"Rachel, hi," Finn said awkwardly but happily. He had secretly hoped she would come because he had missed her in glee. "I thought you couldn't be here?" he asked, puzzled.

"I'm not supposed to be, but I am," Rachel said shortly. Finn nodded at her, with a confused look on his face.

"So, we should get going back to the concert," Finn said as he noticed the awkwardness in the room.

"Right," Will said straightening his tie as he left with Rachel and Finn following behind.

"Where's Ms. Holliday?" Finn whispered down to Rachel.

"She wasn't feeling well and had to leave," Rachel said not even considering telling him the truth. Her answered seem to satisfy him though as he kept quite the rest of the way down to the auditorium.

After Finn had tried to persuade her to stay backstage, Rachel declined and took her seat in the audience as she watched Will take the stage. Even though it was an unprepared song, he did an amazing job on it. She could feel the emotion in his voice and his stage presence was confident, a favorite thing that Rachel admired in men. It almost made her forget that she had just admitted her feelings for him, but they came back as she saw him glance up at her at the end of the song.

She sat in her seat, in the back row, for the rest of the benefit. Thankfully, Mercedes was the only one left to perform and with everything on Rachel's mind, she didn't even notice her performance. Her mind was too focused on the fact that she had just told her teacher that she had feelings for him.

She let out a sigh as she thought about what Will was thinking. Maybe it was a good thing that Finn came in because then she wouldn't have heard his rejection. She knew it was coming either way though and she scolded herself for being so forward. He had just been broken up with and then she went and told him her feelings. It was too much for her to handle and probably more for him.

"Excuse me, miss," a man said as he tried to get by Rachel in the aisle.

"Oh, sorry," Rachel said as she stood up and realized the benefit was over. She made her way out of auditorium and found herself in the hallway, pacing back and forth in the group of people that had also come out. She didn't know if she should wait for him or if to leave because of embarrassment. She finally decided to leave, but Kurt calling her name stopped her.

"Rachel! I didn't know you were here?" Kurt exclaimed happily with Blaine next to him.

"Yeah, I couldn't miss it," Rachel said.

"I thought you were grounded though?" Blaine asked.

"Well, I still technically am. I'm not supposed to be here, but I came anyway," Rachel explained.

"Oh, you came to see Finn, didn't you?" Blaine asked with a slight chuckle. Kurt looked over at him with a glare and Blaine immediately stopped. Kurt had informed Blaine about the confusing feelings of how Finn was with Quinn but still seemed liked he had feelings for Rachel. He left out the news on Mr. Schuester though, thinking Rachel would kill him if he told someone.

"Sorry, Rachel. I was just joking," Blaine apologized.

"It's okay, Blaine," Rachel said. "There is nothing going on between Finn and I though," Rachel explained.

"Listen, I'm going to go talk to Mike," Blaine said as he noticed the silence. Kurt nodded at him as he stayed behind with Rachel.

"Rachel, what's wrong?" he asked noticing her acting strange and fidgety.

"I think I made a huge mistake," Rachel started to say.

"What kind of mistake?" Kurt asked, eagerly listening.

"I'll tell you, but it can't be here," Rachel said as she glanced over and saw Will in the hallway talking to Principal Figgins. Will saw her look over to him, which made Rachel only want to leave more. Kurt noticed the glance across the room as they landed on Mr. Schuester. Realization dawned on him as he figured out the problem.

"Rachel, you didn't?" Kurt asked as he let out a surprised sigh.

"It's not what you think. Come on, I'll tell you in the car," Rachel said as she grabbed him to leave.

"Wait, I have to wait for Finn. He's getting a ride home from us," Kurt explained. Rachel looked at him slightly annoyed. She certainly wasn't going to tell Kurt if Finn was in the car as well.

"I can't tell Finn also. Should I call you later?" Rachel asked.

"Of course, I'll be dying to know," Kurt said. Rachel nodded at him as Finn came over to leave.

"Rach, listen, I'm really glad you came," Finn said. "Glee club hasn't been the same without you," he added.

"Thanks, Finn. Your performance was exceptional," Rachel said in honesty. Finn gave her a smile that lasted slightly longer than it should of.

"Well, I'll talk to you later," Rachel said noticing his gaze at her. She didn't need Finn's feelings for her to be noticed when she just admitted her feelings to Mr. Schuester.

"Yeah, I should say good bye to Quinn before I leave. I just wanted to say hi," Finn said slightly disappointed. Rachel nodded at him as she watched him walk away and towards Quinn.

"Call me later," Kurt said.

Rachel nodded again as she got ready to leave herself. She almost made it out but Mr. Schuester had caught her.

"Rachel, wait," Will said, running towards her. He noticed her leaving when he was still talking to Principal Figgins. He wanted to talk to her. He needed to talk to her. What she just admitted opened a whole new perspective on things, but on things he needed an explanation on.

"Can we talk?" Will said as he reached her. Rachel looked at him and noticed that he was still in a bit of shock but he didn't seem tense, which gave Rachel the impression that maybe he wasn't that mad at her, and would just let her down gently again.

"This is a bad time," Rachel said not sure if she was ready to talk to him though.

"Please?" Will asked with pleading in his eyes. Rachel saw his need of explanation through his eyes and sighed to herself.

"Okay," Rachel agreed.

"Can we talk in my office?" Will asked. Rachel nodded at him and followed him down the long, dark, corridor. They reached his office and as Rachel stepped in, she couldn't help but notice how much smaller it seemed to be. He shut the door and turned on the light, to illuminate the dark room.

Rachel sat in the chair in front of his desk but he leaned up against the front. She was surprised as she would have thought he would have taken the chair behind his desk. She was glad though because it made it seem not as formal.

A couple of minutes had passed where nothing was said from either party. Rachel finally decided that since she was the one who admitted her feelings, that she should be the first to explain.

"I'm so sorry," Rachel said for the second time that night.

"Rachel, you don't have to be sorry. I'm just confused and not about what you said but what I have been feeling," Will said honestly.

"And you have every right to be. I should have never said that," Rachel said as she felt the tears in her eyes swell.

"Please, don't cry, Rach," Will said noticing her tears.

"I have ruined everything for you," Rachel said being a bit more dramatic than she should have been.

"You haven't, I knew long before that things with Holly weren't going to work out. I just wanted them to so bad so I wouldn't have to alone anymore," Will explained. Rachel looked up at him and noticed that he wasn't angry. He had his arms folded across his chest, but he wasn't fuming or scowling.

"It's just, I feel so stupid for admitting those feelings when we have been down this road before. I tried to control them, but I couldn't, and as we got to talk more personally with each other, they only grew," Rachel explained.

"I know what you mean," Will said with Rachel looking at him confused.

"What?" she asked.

"After I picked you up, I noticed how nice that conversation was. When we first hugged, I felt something but pushed it away, thinking it was all in my head, and then when you came in to tell me about glee club and hugged me again, I knew the feeling was real. You are so much more than what people think of you and I want to know more," Will explained. He was shocked at himself for being so bold towards her but he wanted her to know what he was feeling as well.

"What are you saying?" Rachel said as she tried to process the information. It was all so confusing for her, for she didn't actually think her teacher could have feelings for her back.

"What I'm saying is, is that I want to know more of the Rachel Berry in that car and this past week," Will said in honesty. "I have felt more connected to you this past week than I ever have and I think we could make it work," Will added.

Rachel didn't know what to do. She had to think and it had to be quick as Will was waiting for a response. His words were hanging in the air as Rachel tried to wrap her mind around them. This was what she wanted but she didn't know how to act on it. This was a dangerous situation and if anything went wrong, it would be over for the both of them. Was she willing to take that chance and more importantly was, Mr. Schuester willing to put his career on the line as well as his reputation? Was he just acting this way because he just got broken up with and wasn't thinking straight?

These thoughts were making Rachel's outlook on the situation much more real. She never considered the fact that he could have feelings for her as well. It turned her whole perspective around and although it was what she wanted, maybe it was for the best it didn't happen.

"Mr. Schuester, I don't know. This is what I want but I never expected you to have feelings for me as well," Rachel started to explain but he cut her off.

"Call me, Will, Rachel," Will requested. Rachel nodded at his request and continued. The thought of calling him by his first name made her heart swell.

"Will, I think I need more time to figure things out," Rachel said. She saw the expression on his face change but not to anger to understanding.

"I understand, Rachel. This is a lot to take in. Why don't you call me tomorrow and we can talk some more and maybe in a more private place, like my apartment," Will suggested. Rachel nodded in agreement.

"I would appreciate that," Rachel said as she stood up. Will filled out a sticky note with his number on it and handed it over to her. She accepted it and went to the door. They said their good byes and as Rachel walked down the hallway, she wondered just how one night could have turned into unexpected confessions like this.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So sorry for the long wait but you know how life can be, school, work, homework, but here is chapter six. I'm quite happy how this one turned out, so I hope you all enjoy. Please read and review and let me know what you think of it. **

Rachel walked out of the school with a new perspective. Never would she have thought that Mr. Schuester had feelings for her. It was so wrong of him to admit it but it was also so wrong for her to tell him. Everything she had daydreamed about him, had a chance to come true, and although she had been thinking of this moment since before that party, she was scared. Scared of what was going to happen. It was already hard enough to be in a relationship with a teenage boy, she didn't even know what to expect with an experienced man.

She made her way to her car and drove home deep in thought. She didn't even notice when she finally pulled into her driveway. She had been so focused about what had happened to not notice her surroundings. She took a moment to calm herself. It was Mr. Schuester after all. The caring, affectionate, talented, attractive man that she had grown to see as a person and not just her teacher. She then reminded herself to call him Will, like he had suggested. If she really wanted this, she needed to get used to calling him by his real name, and she did want whatever it was that they had admitted. She just didn't know what to expect.

She carefully crept into the house through the front door. It was still slightly early but Rachel knew that her father's would be in bed. They had work early in the morning and normally went to sleep early in return. She was grateful when they weren't waiting up for her like the previous week. She didn't want to be in even more trouble than she already was.

When Rachel finally made it to her room, she sank down on her bed and let out a sigh. It had been a long night and she was anxious. She didn't want to wait to talk to Will and even though she was nervous, her head was clear. She wanted this and he wanted this, so she grabbed her phone and the slip of paper with his name on it, and sent him a text.

"_Will, can we talk tomorrow? I think I have made a decision," Rachel_. Rachel smiled as she hit the send button. She hoped Will would get it before he went to sleep, for it was getting late. In no more than five minutes her phone buzzed and she quickly opened it.

"_How about my place at noon? You remember the directions, right?" Will_. Rachel's smile grew even wider. He wasn't backing out and she was glad. She thought that maybe he would have changed his mind after he had some time to himself. She sighed happily for she most definitely remembered the directions to his house. She had been there only twice, once when she had her embarrassingly crush on him and once for the glee club song selection party.

"_Of course, I have been to your apartment, remember?"_

"_Right, how could I forget? You made one good casserole, ;)" _Will smiled as he sent the text. He was more than surprised when he heard his phone buzz not five minutes since he got home and was pleased to see it was Rachel. He hoped that it wasn't being too forward of him to bring up the past, but he felt that Rachel wouldn't mind since they were behind that and moving on towards something new.

"_Haha very funny, don't expect any more cooking from me now, ;)" _Rachel responded with a chuckle. Although it was embarrassing to remember her stalker days of cooking and cleaning for him, she was glad that they could laugh about it now. It felt like it was a new beginning with him and that was exactly what Rachel wanted it to be.

"_Hey, I was only kidding!"_ Will wrote back quickly, even though he knew she was joking. The whole texting thing was relatively new for him for he didn't have many people to talk to. He wanted to joke but didn't want it to be rude. He smiled when he saw her response.

"_Yeah, sure you are,"_ Rachel said with a laugh. This was going better than she had expected. She was enjoying this flirting and teasing with him even if it was minimal. It meant that they were comfortable around each other.

"_So see you tomorrow, Rach? I'm going to turn in early, been a long night," _Will replied back. He was enjoying the conversation but he really was tired. With finding out that Holly had cheated on him, performing at the benefit and confessing his feelings to Rachel, the night left him beat.

"_It's only 11:30, Will. You are such an old timer! But if you must go to bed, then I'll see you tomorrow,"_ Rachel joked back at him. She in no way thought that Will was old but it wasn't even midnight yet. Then again both had a long day and Rachel was feeling tired herself.

"_Old timer, ehh? We'll see about that tomorrow when we see who can keep their eyes open longer," _Will chuckled back.

"_I guess we will, then," _Rachel responded quickly as she let a yawn escape. She was getting tired and she blamed it on him.

"_Good night, Rachel. I hope this night wasn't too much for you but we can talk tomorrow,_" Will replied. Even though they were joking he wanted to make sure that Rachel was comfortable talking with him and that they were on level ground.

"_It was unexpected but a good unexpected and yes we will talk tomorrow, good night, Will," _Rachel wrote back. It defiantly was unexpected but after much consideration, she didn't think of it as too much. Rachel had always felt a connection with Will but both had always been too scared to admit it, until now. This was the start of something beautiful and Rachel couldn't wait to explore it with him.

Will smiled as he read her last text. It definitely was unexpected but he knew it was only time before it spilled out anyways. He had always felt a strong pull towards Rachel but never acted on his feelings for the outcome could be massive. He was still worried about the situation but he thought that they would talk about ground rules in the morning.

He let out another yawn as he tugged on his pajamas and plopped down on his bed. It was definitely unexpected, but Will couldn't of been happier as he drifted off to sleep.

The morning came around peacefully and quietly for Rachel. Her mind was clear of worry and she was ready to face him and talk. She quickly got ready in her typical skirt and matching top. She applied minimal make-up and pulled on her flats.

Rachel sighed of relief when she saw a note left from her father's on the kitchen stool.

_Sorry, we didn't see you sweetie. We had early work. We hope you have a great day and talk to you later, Love Dad and Daddy._

The fact that both her dad's had early work meant that she didn't have to think of a lie to tell them of where she was going for the day. It also meant that she didn't have to tell them of where she was the previous night. Rachel sat the note back down on the table and looked at the clock. It was still slightly early to go to Will's so she made a quick breakfast of tea and English muffin.

When she was done it was near 11:30 and she thought she should be on her way over. She pulled on her coat for the weather had been a bit nippy lately.

As she drove to Will's, her heart beat uncontrollably. She was nervous but excited. She started to sing along to the radio to calm her nerves and it worked. When she pulled into a spot in his lot, she felt surprisingly better. She looked at herself in the mirror above her steering wheel and let out a deep breath. After giving herself a couple of minutes to compose herself, she headed up to his apartment.

She landed on the fifth floor and desperately searched for his door number. When she found it, she knocked three times.

Will opened the door with a smile on his face. She was right on time, but of course this was Rachel Berry.

"Hi," Will shyly said.

"Hi," Rachel responded with confidence. She wanted Will to see her as a mature woman and not a little girl.

"Come on in," Will said stepping aside awkwardly. He didn't know why, but he was nervous. He was afraid of what to expect with Rachel's reputation being a diva, but he remembered that she wasn't that person anymore and focused on the good.

"Thank you," Rachel said as she started to unbutton her coat. When she was done, Will took it from her and hung it on the rack along with her purse.

"So, I guess we should talk," Will said while clasping his hands together. Rachel nodded and followed him to the couch.

There was a moment of silence as they sat down, each unsure of what to say or how to start the conversation. Will saw that Rachel was just as nervous as he was, and let out a sigh of relief. They were in this together and that made everything more comfortable for him.

"So, I guess we should start by what you have decided," Will said turning his body to face her. Rachel placed her hands in her lap and looked up at him. She was always amazed that Will always had a look of caring and compassion. There were only a few times where she had seen him be mad, but he had always returned to his happy state.

"Right, well I have decided that I want to try this, Will," Rachel said using her hands to motion back and forth between them. "Whatever this may be," she added. Will again, let out a sigh of relief and then a smile.

"Rachel, I'm so glad that you have said that. I want this too, no matter how wrong it is. I'm aware of the consequences but we can pull it off," Will said as he grabbed her hands in his. Rachel smiled, but something in the back of her head needed to know the truth.

"Are you sure, Will? I mean, if I'm just a rebound, I think I might die, not literally but you know," Rachel said being her over dramatic self. Will chuckled to himself. This was the Rachel Berry that he knew so well.

"Rachel, I'm being completely serious. You are not a rebound. I knew that things with Holly were never going to last to where we would be an actual couple. You mean too much to me to be a rebound and I would never break your heart," Will said as he rubbed her hands in his. Rachel felt safe and comforted and it was in that moment that she knew they were really about to do this.

"With that being said though, I think we should go over how this is going to work," Will said keeping his tone serious. Rachel nodded and let him continue.

"We need to be completely professional at school. No one can figure out what is going on between us or the consequences could be great," Will said as Rachel nodded understandingly. She had already figured that was a give-in anyway.

"We also need to establish what to call each other. At school Mr. Schuester or Mr. Schue is fine but you can only call me Will when we are out of the public eye," Will said.

"I agree," Rachel finally said. These were basic rules she had thought of herself but hearing them out loud made everything much more overwhelming, which Will noticed.

"I know this is a lot to take in Rachel, but we have to be extremely careful about this. We can't cause any slip ups anywhere," Will said as he brushed her arm comfortingly.

"I understand, it's just hearing them out loud for the first time is a bit overwhelming," Rachel said.

"I know it is, but we will get used to it in time," Will said. He looked up and found Rachel's eyes staring hopelessly at him, which gave him the impression that she didn't believe him. To reassure her, he leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Rachel let out a sigh of relief as he pulled away. She looked at him with a smile because that kiss held all the reassurance she needed.

Her forehead tingled with a new sensation as she brushed her hand over his cheek. It was suddenly becoming hotter with each stroke she gave him and in that moment, she decided that she needed more. She needed to feel his lips on hers for the first time, just to feel that protectiveness of him around her.

She brushed down his face and cupped his cheek while gently stroking his jaw line. With confidence, she leaned in and locked her lips with his. To say that Will was surprised was an understatement. He sighed happily into the kiss as their lips moved gently against each other's.

Rachel pulled away, leaving a whimpering Will behind. She gave him a small smirk and new that this was real. Will leaned in again closing the space between them. It was a wonder to him how he could feel so much with just one kiss. He heard Rachel give out a small moan as she lowered herself to a laying position on his couch. He moved up with her, and with one arm, hovered above her.

"Rachel, you are so beautiful. I'm so happy right now," Will said leaning in again. After several minutes of exploring each other, they broke apart, both breathing heavily.

"Wow," was all Rachel could say. Will nodded in silence as his heart rate became normal. It was nothing like he had ever experienced with a women, even if he was once married. Terri was always controlling and told him what to do. It was different with Rachel. She wasn't experienced and he liked being able to show his affection. Rachel felt the same way for all her previous relationships were always with eager, teenage boys.

"So um, do you want some lunch?" Will casually asked. Rachel nodded as her stomach had been silently growling. Will nodded back and got up towards the kitchen. Rachel followed behind and started helping him prepare lunch.

"What should we have?" Will asked.

"Well, you don't have much," Rachel teased as she looked through his cupboards.

"Hey! I haven't had a chance to go shopping this week," Will joked back.

"We could go right now?" Rachel suggested but regretted it as Will gave her the look.

"Rach, we talked about this. We can't be in the public eye. It just doesn't look right for us to be walking around town with each other," Will explained.

"I know, I'm sorry. I forgot already," Rachel said as she looked down, embarrassingly. She had already made a mistake about this relationship and it hadn't even started yet.

"Hey, it's okay," Will said as he pulled her into a hug. Rachel sighed into his chest.

"I want to go out with you too, but for now we need to lay low," Will said. Rachel nodded understandingly against his chest.

"How about we order in?" Will suggested.

"Okay," Rachel agreed. Will pulled out a menu from his favorite restaurant in town and order some lunch.

They talked while they waited for the food to arrive. It wasn't awkward though as they talked about many subjects, ranging from music, media, and school. Will paid for the lunch after Rachel insistently bugged him to let her pay.

They sat at the coffee table and ate in comfortable silence. Just as Rachel put down her plate, her phone rang. She quickly went over to her purse to see if it was one of her dad's. She did a sigh of relief when she saw it was from Kurt.

"Hi, Kurt," Rachel said as she glanced over to Will apologetically.

"Rachel, you forgot to call me yesterday about you know who and I have some exciting news!" Kurt said happily. Rachel furrowed her brow anxiously. She had already forgotten that she mentioned her feelings of Will towards him and Noah. She couldn't tell him the truth. Will had made that perfectly clear. She had to lie, if she wanted to keep what they had alive.

"Oh that, he just wanted to know why I was there," Rachel said thinking quick on her feet.

"That's all?" Kurt asked disappointedly. He waited all night for that?

"Yeah, silly me jumping to conclusions," Rachel said.

"Oh, well sorry to hear that," she heard Kurt say as Will walked over to her.

"Listen Kurt, I would love to talk but I'm having lunch with my dad's," she said thinking of another lie. She couldn't remember the last time she told a lie and now she had told two.

"Okay, but before you go, guess what?" Kurt asked excitedly.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"Kurt Hummel is back at McKinley!"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So I'm back! I'm so sorry for the long wait, but you wouldn't believe how many papers and homework I had to do for school this past month. Not to mention juggling a job on top of it. I hope to try and update regularly if people are still interested in this story. I know it's been a while, but please read and review. It means a lot. **

**Oh and as a surprise I might be writing up another story soon, however, only if people are interested. So if you are, please tell me in a review and if not you can write that in one as well. It won't hurt my feelings, I promise. Anyways, I'll finally let you all read the chapter. So, happy reading!**

Rachel's smile grew as she heard Kurt laugh in excitement through the other line. He was coming back to McKinley. He was going to be back in the New Directions and Rachel couldn't have been happier.

Will looked at her confused as to what the excitement was and she couldn't wait to get off the phone and tell him.

"I'm so happy for you, Kurt! I can't wait to see you tomorrow!" Rachel said as she saw Will's face turn into a smile.

"Listen, I have to go but we'll talk tomorrow, okay?" Rachel stated. Kurt happily agreed and she hung up the phone with joy.

"So what did Kurt want?" Will asked in excitement. He had a good guess in mind but was dying to see if he was correct.

"Kurt is coming back to McKinley tomorrow!" Rachel happily exclaimed.

"Really? That's great!" Will said excitedly. Kurt was a great asset to New Directions and he was glad to have him back.

"I know! It hasn't been the same since he left for Dalton," Rachel said as Will nodded.

"Tomorrow is going to be a big surprise for the rest of the New Directions!" Will said happily.

"It is! Everyone is going to be so excited," Rachel said.

Will nodded and after talking for a little bit longer on Kurt's return, Will decided to pop in a movie before Rachel had to leave. The two snuggled into the couch, with Rachel fitting perfectly against his chest. It was different to be so close to Will this way but Rachel wouldn't have it any other way.

The movie ended an hour and a half later and Rachel sighed. She didn't want to leave. It hadn't even felt like she had been there that long, but she knew she couldn't stay. This relationship was new and she didn't want to seem like every other needy, possessive teenage girl.

"I guess I should get going," Rachel said as she lifted her head up off his chest. Will's face fell. He really wished she could stay longer so they could have more time together but this was new and he didn't want her to go against her father's wishes.

"I'll walk you to the door," Will said. He would have offered to walk her down to her car but it would have been too risky. Rachel smiled at him as she leaned up and walked to the front door, Will close behind.

He handed over her purse and watched as she put her shoes on.

"Thank you, Will," Rachel said once she was done with her shoes.

"For what?" Will asked confused.

"Well for everything," Rachel said as she leaned up and gave him a soft kiss. He sighed happily as their lips moved together in sync.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Rach," Will said as they broke apart.

"See you in Glee club," Rachel said as she finally left. The door closed slowly behind her and Will waited until he thought she would be gone. He let out a sigh of content and headed into his bedroom.

It was getting rather late and he had work in the morning, so after a shower and shave, Will got ready for bed.

He laid in bed with a smile on his face. He tried to think back to a time where he was this happy but couldn't. Terry made his life miserable, Emma wouldn't let him love her and Holly was a fling. Rachel was so much more than anyone he had dated and he couldn't believe that she was his. As wrong as it was, he was happy and he was going to stay that way.

Rachel drove home in sheer bliss from the day. She was the happiest she had ever been in a relationship. Finn was all over the place when it came to them, Jessie had been a liar and Puck was Puck, not willing to commit. Will was different. He had feelings and wasn't afraid to cry. He had passion and talent that would make any woman's heart melt. He was attractive and had good personal hygiene, a quality Rachel had admired. It was a wonder to her why he would agree to be with her when he could have anyone he wanted and it most likely wouldn't be illegal. Rachel didn't question it too much though and just enjoyed the feeling. The feeling of happiness as she pulled into her driveway and into the garage.

She turned off the car and just sat for a moment to collect her thoughts and story about what to tell her dads on where she had been. She had noticed that they were home as the car was parked in the next spot over.

Before she went inside, she reached for her phone in her purse and quickly sent Will a text to let her know she was safely home.

"_Hi, Will, just wanted you to know I made it home safely. Thanks again for today," _Rachel smiled as she wrote out the text.

In a couple of minutes, Will responded. _"Good, Rachel. I'm glad you got home fine. You're welcome. I can't wait to explore this relationship with you. I'm so happy," _Will grinned with a smile as he laid back into his pillow.

"_Me too, I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early," _Rachel texted out as she got out of the car.

"_Bright and early, good night, Rachel,"_ Will texted as he set his phone back on the night stand.

"_Good night, Will," _Rachel texted as she sent her final text to him just as she was about to open the door to the laundry room.

She put her phone in her purse and headed upstairs. She heard the television on in her dad's bedroom so she slowly knocked.

"Rachel, it's so nice to see you," Hiram said. Rachel couldn't tell if he was being genuine or sarcastic so she just smiled.

"How was your day?" Rachel asked.

"Oh it was fine," Leroy said turning his attention away from the tv.

"How was yours? Where have you been all day?" he asked.

"I was studying with Finn," Rachel said trying to keep her face as straight as possible.

"Finn? I thought you two ended it?" Hiram asked suspiciously.

"We did, but can't we still be friends?" Rachel asked.

"I guess," Leroy said watching Rachel very carefully.

"Well I'm going to get ready for bed," Rachel said as she walked over and said her goodnights. Leroy and Hiram said goodnight and watched her leave the room. When she was gone, Leroy went back to watching the television but Hiram started thinking. Rachel seemed off with her behavior but he guessed it was normal. She was a teenage girl after all. He sighed to himself and went back to reading his book.

Rachel made her way to her room and quickly closed the door behind her. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding as she sat down on her bed. She sat and contemplated how she had just told a lie. She had actually told numerous lies tonight but she had to in order to keep her and Will safe. It was the only way not to raise suspicion.

Rachel looked over at her clock on the night stand and it read close to 10:30 pm. She quickly changed her clothes and tried to get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be an exciting day and she couldn't wait to see Kurt. She was slightly worried though on how she and Will would act around each other at school but she kept telling herself it wouldn't be a problem. They were going to work out.

The morning came all too fast for both Rachel and Will. It was the first morning of being in school as an actual couple and both wondered if they could pull it off.

Rachel quickly got ready and headed out the door. She wanted to see Will first thing in the morning and if she didn't do it now it wouldn't be until glee in the afternoon.

She arrived at school and parked in her normal place. She noticed that Will wasn't there yet as she didn't see his car. She questioned on whether or not she should wait for him but decided against it, as it would look suspicious.

Rachel climbed out of her car and made her way to her locker. She stopped when she saw someone there, that someone named Finn.

"Rachel, hi," Finn said.

"Hi, Finn," Rachel said shortly. She didn't feel like talking to Finn as she wanted to see Will and Kurt, wherever he may be. Why was Finn suddenly interested in talking to her anyways?

"So, how was your weekend?" he asked. Rachel stared at him blankly. Why was he making small talk with her when he was with Quinn?

"It was good. Just hung out around home," Rachel said. "How about yourself?" she asked.

"Fine, Quinn and I went and saw a movie," Finn said. Rachel tried not to roll her eyes as he said Quinn's name.

"Listen, I'd really like to chat but I'm meeting someone soon," Rachel said as she shut her locker. She just wanted to desperately leave the conversation.

"Kurt?" Finn asked.

"How did you know he was back?" Rachel asked in surprise.

"He's my step brother, remember?" Finn said looking at her confused. "Are you sure you are okay, Rach?" he added.

"Oh right, I'm fine, Finn," Rachel said realizing her mistake. "Well, I'll see you in Glee club," Rachel said as she picked her back up off the floor and started to turn away.

"Oh okay. Well, I'll see you in Glee club," Finn said as he sighed and turned around.

Rachel quickly walked away and didn't turn around to look at Finn. It didn't make any sense to her on why he would be talking to her when he was with Quinn. He had been acting differently since the party. He had the choice to be with her but gave it up, and Rachel wasn't about to take him back, not when she was on a new journey with Will.

Meanwhile, Will sat in his office, busying himself with papers. He hoped to see Rachel first thing in the morning but when he walked in and found her talking to Finn, it disappointed him and more importantly concerned him. Why would she be talking to Finn when he had a girlfriend and when they were in a relationship? He didn't care if they were friends still, but he knew Finn and how back and forth he could be.

A soft knock on the door pulled his eyes away from the Spanish papers in front of him.

"Come in," Will muttered. He smiled slightly when Rachel walked in.

"Hi, Mr. Schuester," Rachel said with a smile and emphasis on his last name. She wanted to stick to the ground rules they had made because she thought it would make Will see her in an adult way.

"Rachel, have a seat," Will said. Rachel noticed his tone and wondered what was wrong. It was their first day as a couple and already there were problems.

"Is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?" Rachel immediately asked as her insecurities started to show through. She couldn't stand to lose someone else that she cared about, especially when this was brand new.

"No, nothing, why would you ask?" Will asked immediately regretting his tone earlier. He sometimes forgot that Rachel was just a teenager with emotions. She acted so well at being adult that he just forgot her actual age. It reminded him of the age difference between them and for a moment thought if they could really do this. He pushed those thoughts away as he remembered that they had feelings for one another, true feelings.

"You just seem off today," Rachel said.

"I'm fine," Will said.

"Look, Will, I want us to always be honest with each other, so please tell me the truth," Rachel said, not caring that she used his first name at school. They needed to fix this problem or this relationship would be over before it even began and that was not Rachel wanted.

"Alright, fine," Will said as he took a breath. "Why were you talking to Finn?" he asked. "It's not that I care if you are friends but it's Finn, you never know what he is going to do," Will explained.

"First of all, I would like to say that it is really cute that you are jealous, but more importantly I don't know why he came to me. He has been acting strange since the party. I cut the conversation because I wanted to see you," Rachel explained. Will's face lightened up a bit at her words and he suddenly felt like a jealous jerk. He should know better. Rachel was a mature teenager and wouldn't go back to Finn, not after all that he did to her.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. I didn't mean to come off as jealous but when I saw you with him, it just made me think of the time you had together with him," Will explained.

"Will, the past doesn't matter anymore. I want to be with you, not Finn," Rachel said as she reached out and grabbed his hand. She didn't care that Finn could still have feelings for her because in reality, she knew he would just dump her again. She didn't deserve that. She deserved Will.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Will said while standing up and moving around to her side off his desk. When he reached her, he quickly glanced up at the door to make sure that it was sealed shut. He knew he shouldn't do what he was about to do, especially at school, but he needed to let Rachel know that he did trust her.

He leaned down and watched as Rachel's eyes widen in surprise. He cupped her face and rubbed his thumb gently over her jaw. He tilted his head and leaned in. Just before he let his lips touch hers, the sound of the bell startled both of them and Will pulled away faster than he had leaned in.

They stared at each other, not sure what to make of the situation. Will had almost kissed her in his office on public ground. The number one rule was to show no affection outside of his apartment and he almost blew it. Rachel was just sometimes so desirable that he couldn't help himself.

"Well I better get going," Rachel said as she smirked at him. Will saw her smirk as an okay that he didn't cross a line, and let out a breath.

"Bye, Rachel. See you later in Glee. Have a good day," he said as he watched her leave. When she was gone and far enough away, Will left his office and headed to his Spanish room to prepare for the days lessons.

He continued to think though, about the moment in his office. He desperately wanted to kiss her, to show her that he understood, but the bell had perfect interrupting skills. It made him realize though, just how dangerous and real their relationship was. If a bell could give them that much of a scare, he didn't even want to think about what would happen if someone found out.

He pushed those thoughts out his mind though as he prepared his lesson on the white board. Soon after, the students came pilling in, and he began the lesson. Three classes later and lunch, it was time for glee, something he had been waiting for all day. He got to see Rachel and Kurt was back in New Directions. He quickly packed his things up and headed into the choir room. When he got there, Rachel of course was already there, talking quietly with Puck.

He gave her a smile as she quickly glanced up to notice his presence, which of course Puck had noticed. He had a keen eye on relationships and telling if people are in them. It was his badass sixth sense as he liked to call it.

"Hey Berry? Why are you so eager to see Schuester?" he said in his typical mocking tone.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked as she hoped her smile wasn't too revealing.

"I just saw the look he gave you and you smiled in return," Puck said raising an eyebrow at her.

"Noah, I don't know what you are talking about," Rachel said as she slightly stuttered while folding her arms across her chest. She began to stand up and move to another chair, where she wouldn't have to be questioned about Will.

"Alright, everybody, we got big news!" Will said causing Puck to turn his attention away from Rachel and drop the investigation.

"Rachel, can you please take a seat?" Will asked just as he normally would.

"Of course, sorry Mr. Schuester," Rachel said as she sat back down in her original chair.

"Anyways, we have a new member," Will said as he clapped his hands together.

"A new member?" Tina smiled while some groaned.

"Oh hell na. We don't need someone else to come in and steal the spotlight," Mercedes complained.

"Guys, let Mr. Schue say who it is. I think you are going to like it," Finn said with a smile as he wrapped his arm around Quinn.

"Thanks, Finn. New Directions, let's all give a warm welcome to Kurt Hummel!" Will said happily as he clapped his hands and turned his attention towards the door.

Kurt came running into the room as everyone stared at him in excitement and awe.

"Kurt! You're back!" Mercedes happily said as she got up out of her chair to give him a hug.

"We missed you," Sam said with everyone agreeing.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Puck asked.

"Well I told some of you, but I wanted it to be a surprise," Kurt said as he winked over to Rachel.

"We are all so happy to have you back, Kurt," Rachel said from next to Will. She had subconsciously made her way over to stand by him at the piano. She didn't think anyone would notice with Kurt being a distraction as she briefly grabbed Will's hand. Puck however saw the exchange and smirked to himself.

"I'm happy to be back," Kurt said as he looked over to Mr. Schuester as Rachel casually dropped her hand from his.

"So since I'm back, let's prepare for Nationals," Kurt said excitedly while everyone cheered.

"Alright everybody, let's get in the opening formation," Will said as he clapped his hands to grab their attention.

Rachel made her way to stand by Kurt, with Puck behind her.

"Five, six, seven, eight," Will began to shout. Just before he began to call out the dance steps, Puck leaned to where only Rachel could hear him.

"Told you so," he whispered and Rachel's face immediately fell.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for the delay. I can't believe it has taken me this long to update! I hope to never be this late again but school has kept me busy. However, my semester is done in two weeks so I will have more time. In the meantime, here is chapter 8 for all of you who are still reading! I hope you all like it. Please read and review to let me know!**

Rachel didn't have much time to process Pucks response as she felt an oversized fist hit her in the face. The next thing she knew she was on the ground holding her nose in pain.

"Rachel! I'm so sorry," Finn said as he rushed down next to her.

"My nose," Rachel muttered out, as she continued to lightly touch it. It was already starting to swell as she felt the puffiness of her skin rise.

"We need to get you to a doctor," Will said as he rushed to her as well.

"Mr. Schue, I can take her," Finn offered.

"It's alright. I've got her," Will said as he helped Rachel up off the floor by gently putting his hands on her shoulders. Puck smirked at his actions.

"What's so funny, Puck? You shouldn't laugh because I punched Rachel in the face, by accident of course," Finn said who was standing right next to him.

"Oh nothing. I'm not laughing about that," he said and casually walked away, leaving Finn to stare at him in confusion.

"Guys, practice is cancelled," Will said as he and Rachel started to leave the choir room.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take her, Mr. Schue?" Finn asked again while Quinn glared at him. He ignored Quinn's look towards him because he really wanted to make sure that he didn't hurt Rachel. Will stopped for a moment this time as something clicked in his head. If he took Rachel to the emergency room, it might come off as something more to the others. If he let Finn take her, there would be no suspicion.

"Actually, Finn, why don't you take her? I just remembered that I have to get something out of my office and fill out some papers for nationals," Will said as he let go of Rachel's shoulders. Rachel eyed him suspiciously because she wanted nothing more than to be in Will's embrace. She had just been humiliated in front of everyone because of Finn, what made him think that she wanted him to take her to the doctor?

"Really?" Finn asked in surprise as Quinn just looked at him in surprise, not believing her boyfriend's actions. She sometimes wondered why Finn was even dating her again in the first place when at times it seemed that he still cared for Rachel.

"Yes, now you two go," Will said as he handed Rachel off to him as he went to his office, while the rest of the members left the choir room.

"Come on, Rachel. You have to go to the doctor," Finn said as he lightly touched her shoulder. Rachel hesitated, but followed behind as Finn led her to his truck in the parking lot. She noticed Quinn's glares towards him and new that he would be in trouble with her later.

Will watched them leave through the window in his office. Once they were gone, he pulled out his phone and started writing Rachel a text.

"_I'm sorry for that Rach. I wanted to go with you but I didn't want the others to get suspicious. Hope your nose is fine and you aren't mad."_

He didn't know if Rachel would read his text right away, but he sent it anyway. In about five minutes, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

"_It's okay, Will. I understand, but I just want you here with me. I hope my nose isn't broken. I'll text you when I'm done."_

Will sighed, but went back to collecting the papers for nationals that he really did need to start filling out.

"Who are you texting?" Finn asked from the driver's seat.

"Just my dad, to tell him about my nose," Rachel said quick on her feet, although she really should have texted them to inform them of what was going on.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. I hope they aren't mad at me," Finn said as he glanced over to her.

"They're not. They are just glad that I'm going to the doctor," Rachel said as her phone buzzed again.

"_Okay, sweet heart. I'm sure it's going to be fine."_

"You're dads again?" Finn asked.

"Why are you so interested in who I'm talking to? I deserve some privacy," Rachel said a bit snappier than she intended.

"I'm sorry. You're right. You need your space," he said as he focused his attention back on the road.

Rachel didn't text Will back as she didn't know what else to say. She was going to the doctor to find out if Finn really broke her nose or not, which he clearly already knew.

Rachel sat in the passenger seat in silence as she began to scare herself of the possibility that her nose really could be broken. Would it affect her singing voice? What if she could never sing again? What would she do at Nationals?

"Rachel, we're here," Finn said as he tapped her shoulder, breaking her from her thoughts. Rachel turned her head at him, in confusion.

"I said, we're here," Finn said again as he unbuckled his seat belt. Rachel looked out the window and they were indeed at the hospital. She followed his actions and got out of the car.

They made their way through the hospital and to the emergency room floor. Rachel then filled out all necessary paperwork and sat in a seat next to Finn.

"You don't have to come in with me," Rachel said next to him.

"I want to, to make sure I didn't hurt you," Finn said as worry crept on his face. "I feel really bad about this, Rachel. I never thought my dancing would ever hurt anyone," he said with guilt.

"It's okay, Finn. It was an accident," Rachel said. Finn gave her a half smile as the doctor came out and called her name.

"Rachel Berry."

Rachel and Finn stood up as they followed the doctor to a room in the back.

"Now, Ms. Berry it seems that you have hit your nose? Is that correct?" he asked.

"Well, I actually hit her, on accident though. I was dancing," Finn said as the doctor eyed him suspiciously.

"I see. So, let's take some x-rays and go from there," the doctor said leading Rachel out of the room and down the hallway to the x-ray room.

After multiple x-rays, Rachel was sent back to the room with Finn, and they waited for a lengthy time before the doctor came back with the results.

"How is she?" Finn asked out of worry.

"It's just some minor swelling and bruising and the healing should make it go down, but have you ever thought about a nose job?" the doctor said as he turned his attention back to her.

"Excuse me?" Rachel said in shock. She had never once considered a nose job even if at times she didn't like her nose and wished she had a prettier one.

"Your nose would be perfect to get some surgery on," the doctor continued. Rachel continued to stare at him in disbelief.

"If you're interested, here's my card," he said as he gave Rachel the card.

Rachel took it but she didn't know why. She wasn't interested in that, but something told her to grab it in case she changed her mind.

After Rachel was done, she and Finn headed back into his truck and he took her home.

"Thanks, Finn," Rachel said as she got out his truck in her driveway.

"Rachel, you aren't really considering a nose job are you?" he said with concern.

"No, never. Why do ask?" Rachel asked a little confused why he was asking her in the first place.

"You just seemed to consider it for a moment at the doctors," Finn said as he started his truck again.

"Well I wasn't, see you tomorrow. I don't want you to get into trouble with Quinn for being with me," Rachel said as she stormed off to the garage, leaving Finn to stare at her in confusion.

When she got home, her dads were in the kitchen, preparing dinner.

"Rachel, honey, how was your day?" Leroy asked without even turning to notice her.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Rachel said as she started to make her way up stairs.

"Wait Rachel, don't we get a hug first?" Hiram asked. Rachel stopped and slowly turned around, waiting for her father's reaction to her nose.

"Rachel! What happened?" Leroy asked.

"Finn accidentally hit me during glee," Rachel said with a frown. "It's just some swelling though so it's not broken," she assured them.

"Does it hurt?" Hiram asked as he came closer to her to examine it himself.

"A little, but it will be okay," Rachel said. "You know, I'm not really hungry. I'm going to go up to my room to do homework and I'll eat later," Rachel said as she hurried back upstairs.

"Okay, sweetie. Let us know if you need anything," Hiram said as they watched her go upstairs.

Once Rachel reached her bed, she immediately fell face first into her pillow, careful not to hit her nose. She laid there for about ten minutes before realizing that she never texted Will back the news. She pulled out her phone and clicked on his number.

"_So nothing is broken thankfully, but I will have some swelling for a while. I wish you could have been here with me, Will."_

Rachel sighed as she sent the text. She contemplated telling him about the suggestion of the nose job but felt she would tell him in person, to get a natural reaction from him. Maybe she would tell the whole glee club to see what they would think. Maybe Quinn would even agree to take pictures of her nose and let her have it? What was she thinking though? Was she going to actually consider a nose job and why did she automatically think of Quinn?

Will's text broke her of her thoughts.

"_That's a relief. I'm so glad it's not broken. I wish I could have gone with you but I didn't want the others to get suspicious. I'll be sure to keep an eye on Finn's dancing from now on though."_

Will smiled as he sent his text. He hoped a little humor would brighten Rachel up. He figured she was still probably upset about the whole situation.

"_Hey are you busy tomorrow morning?"_

Will quickly texted the rest of his message before Rachel responded. He knew that she wanted him there today but since he wasn't, he figured seeing her first thing in the morning would make up for it.

"_I'm not, why do you ask?"_

Rachel smiled at his text and then his quick one after. Since she planned on seeing Will first thing in the morning she would then tell him about her nose.

"_Meet me in my office?"_

"_Of course."_

"_Great, see you tomorrow. Night Rach." _

Will sighed in content as he sent his last message to Rachel. He hoped Rachel was okay and was dealing with her nose. He knew that Rachel could be a bit dramatic at times as well as self-conscious.

After Rachel sent her good night text to Will, she worked on homework until her stomach was growling loud enough to make her stop. She then ate a quick dinner and got ready for bed.

In the morning she set her alarm early so she would have enough time to see Will before morning Glee club practice.

She pulled on her blue dress with a red cardigan and threw her hair in a ponytail. She looked in the mirror and groaned when she saw her nose. It was red and purple with swelling under her eyes. She sighed as she picked up her bag for school and walked down the stairs. When she got down them, Leroy was already awake.

"Morning, sweetie, where are you off to so early?" he asked.

"Just on my way to school. I wanted to get there early today and go over some glee ideas with Mr. Schuester," Rachel said, thinking on her feet.

"Oh okay. Have a good day. Hope your nose is better," he said as Rachel came over and gave him a hug, careful not to hit her nose.

"It's getting better. You too, tell daddy hi," she said as she went out the front door. Since dating Will, Rachel had been quick on feet when she needed to tell a lie. It wasn't that she liked to tell lies but it was what she had to do in order to keep things a secret between them.

Rachel made it to the school in a quick amount of time. She was glad to see the parking lot was still practically deserted except for Will's old blue car in the teacher's lot with a few other cars around it.

She dropped her coat off at her locker and made her way to the choir room. The light in Will's office was on and she slowly opened it. He was sitting in his chair grading papers. He looked up with a smile when she walked in.

"Rachel, hi," Will said as he stood up and made his way over to her. He leaned down and gave her a hug while shutting the door in the process.

"Your nose. It's worse than I thought," Will said as he lightly traced his finger over it.

"It's not horrible but still hurts every now and then," Rachel said as she felt Will kiss her cheek as he leaned back on his desk.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about it," Rachel said as she used the space between Will's legs to fit her small frame.

"Your nose? About what?" he asked, confused.

"The doctor suggested that I should consider a nose job," Rachel said as she held out the card he had given her yesterday.

"You can't be serious, can you?" Will said a bit harsher than he intended.

"Well, I don't know. I've never had a problem with my nose but maybe now is the time where I can change that," Rachel said as she looked at his face, trying to read his emotions. All she saw was confusion.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that's a good idea, Rach. What about the consequences? Nationals is coming up and I need you to be in your best shape," Will said as he grabbed her hands in his.

"I know there could be consequences, Will, but what if it could actually improve my voice?" Rachel said.

"And what if it makes it worse? You have a great voice as is," Will replied back. He didn't want Rachel to make a life changing decision just because she was sometimes insecure about how she looked.

"It won't. I just want a better nose, Will. I'm not hurting anybody," Rachel said in defense. Her confession about her nose made her realize what she thought she wanted all along. She was getting upset that he was taking the news way too serious for what she had planned his reaction to be.

"I'm sorry, honey, but I don't think it's a good idea. I love your nose the way it is," Will said as he gently pecked his lips to her.

She smiled at him, but didn't feel confident of what she wanted. A nose job was still an option for her and she was still going to bring it up at glee club to see what everyone else thought.

"Okay, I understand. I still have to consider all of the possibilities," Rachel said so they could change the subject.

"So, have you thought of any songs for nationals?" she asked.

"Not yet. I was going to see what you guys think we should do today at practice this morning," Will said as he started to stand up. He panicked a minute as he looked at the clock.

"Which is about to start any minute," he added as he began to clean up his desk.

"Will? What if the others are out their already? I can't just walk out of your office with you," Rachel said in a panic as well. Will stopped for a minute to think.

"What if I go out first and if no one is there, then I'll play a note on the piano. If they are already here, then just go out the back door of my office," Will explained. Rachel nodded and waited in his office as he slipped out the door. While Rachel waited she had a thought and decided to just go out the back door herself instead of waiting for Will to tell her if it was clear. Just as she was about to leave though, she unexpectedly bummed into Kurt.

"Rachel? What are you doing in here?" Kurt asked as he walked in Will's side door.

"Oh hi Kurt, I was just seeing if Mr. Schuester was in here but I guess not," she said as she quickly walked passed him and out into the hallway.

"What did you want to see him for?" Kurt asked confused.

"Just to talk about song selection, you know, nationals stuff," Rachel said as she made her way to the front of the choir room entrance.

"What did you want with Mr. Schuester?" Rachel asked in return.

"I just wanted to tell him how happy I was to be back in New Directions," Kurt said. "I liked Dalton, but I missed you guys so much," he added.

"We are happy to have you back," Rachel said.

"So, how did your doctor's appointment go?" he asked.

"I actually have some news, but it's for everyone to hear," Rachel said as they made their way into the choir room and to their seats. Rachel, however stood by a confused looking Will at the piano.

"Mr. Schuester, I would like to make an announcement," Rachel said as Will just continued to stare.

"Sure, Rachel. Go ahead," he said as he leaned his arms down on the piano.

"As you all know, my nose was hurt caused by an unfortunate dancing accident. It's not broken, but the doctor suggested a nose job," Rachel said as the group began to chat around themselves about what they just heard.

"Rachel, you can't be serious," Mercedes said.

"Yeah, what are you thinking? Tina asked.

"What about nationals?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, Berry. Trying to screw us over?" Puck asked as the room became louder with each member giving their opinion.

Rachel just stood in the front of the room next to Will as he looked at her with concern and then inspiration.

"Alright, guys, calm down," Will finally said as everyone quieted down. "We need to focus on nationals," he said as he got up to the white board.

"For this week's assignment, thanks to Rachel, I want you all to sing songs about self-empowerment. Hopefully this assignment will teach you all to appreciate yourselves a bit more and learn to love yourself no matter what anyone else thinks," Will said as he put the cap back on the dry erase marker.

"Please, Mr. Schue. I'm already awesome. I don't need to sing a song about it," Santana began to reply in her snarky tone.

"Santana, no more of your comments. I want you guys to take this seriously, now get to work," Will said as he turned back around. When he did, he saw a slightly angry Rachel as she began to turn and take her seat. He sighed to himself, knowing that she was angry with him, but he hoped that maybe after this lesson, she would learn to be proud of herself, just like he already was.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back with a new chapter. Hope you all like it and please read and review. I love getting reviews because it tells me people still read my work. **

**Anyways, I also have another story for you guys. It's called Unexpected Beginnings and I would be really grateful if you guys would check it out and review. Hope you like it and happy reading!**

It had been four days since Will had assigned the lesson of the week and Rachel had barely said anything to him. It wasn't until Friday afternoon after glee practice that they actually stopped and discussed everything.

"Rachel, can we talk in my office?" Will asked as Rachel nodded to his response without saying anything. "It's been four days. When are you going to forgive me and talk to me?" Will asked helplessly. He knew he was in the wrong to make Rachel the lesson of the week the second he assigned it and now all he wanted was for them to be on the same, happy level they once were. The relationship was still relatively new for them and he wanted to fix this problem before it ruined everything else.

"I don't know. I haven't decided," Rachel said a bit more bitterly than she had planned. She sighed and started again.

"I'm sorry. That's not how I wanted to start this," Rachel said as she took a seat in the chair in front of his desk.

"It's okay. I just want to be able to talk again," Will said. It had only been three days, but it somehow felt much longer. It just proved to him how much he cared and was connected to Rachel.

"Let me just say before we start, Rachel, that I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to be unsupportive of you, it's just that I love your nose and I don't think you should change that to feel like you have to fit in," Will said as he leaned on the front of his desk in front of her.

"I know, Will. I should have realized that in the beginning by how selfish I was being, but the important thing is, is that I have finally realized within these past couple of days, my mistakes," Rachel explained.

"I thought I needed a new nose in order to be popular and look like Quinn," Rachel admitted as she hung her head low. Will sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He hated to see Rachel so insecure all the time.

"Rachel," Will said as he grabbed both her hands in his.

"I don't want you to look like Quinn. I want you to look how you are right now," Will said with a smile as he kissed her knuckles.

"You are beautiful and sexy and talented and I wouldn't have it any other way," Will added, listing off all the things he loved about her.

"Thank you, Will, for saying those things to me," Rachel said truly grateful that she had someone like Will in her life to remind her how special she truly was.

"I mean everything I ever say to you, Rachel. I'm so happy of what we have and I can't stand it when we fight," Will stated.

"I know, I don't like it either," Rachel said in agreement.

"So how about we have dinner at my place tonight? Say six so we can put this whole thing behind us?" Will asked as he stared into her dark, chocolate eyes.

"That would be perfect," Rachel said as she went in for a kiss. She knew they were at school, but Will was making her feel things that she couldn't control. Her lips were inches from his when he pulled away. He quickly got up and made his way to the door. Rachel sat in her chair, stunned.

Will grabbed the knob but turned around and gave her a wink. Rachel smiled slightly and shook her head in disbelief. Will was toying with her and she would definitely have to get him back at some point.

When Rachel grabbed her things and headed out the door, Will was already gone. She then knew that it was safe to leave. She exited the school as fast as she could and smiled as the cold air hit her flushed cheeks. She reached her car and drove home in record time, catching every green light. It was like a sign that someone wanted her to make it home to meet Will later.

As she pulled into the driveway, she noticed her dad's weren't home and she sighed of relief because she wouldn't have to explain where she would be going for the evening. She hated lying but she understood that she needed to do it in order to keep them safe.

Rachel ran upstairs to her room and did her normal routine of getting herself ready. Her routine consisted of a hot shower, or in this case, a cold one, fixing her hair and finally picking out her outfit and make-up.

Once she had completed everything except for her outfit and make-up she heard the doorbell ring. Curious, she threw on a bathrobe and headed down stairs.

"Noah?" Rachel said as she opened the door in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she tightened the robe around her.

"Just came by to see how your nose is," he said as he let himself in.

"That's very sweet of you but this isn't a good time," Rachel said as she glanced at the clock. She had only a half hour before she had to be at Will's.

"You going somewhere?" Puck asked as he raised an eyebrow at her, noticing she must have just gotten out of the shower.

"It's none of your business," Rachel said, annoyed that he was there in her living room. She was friends with him but this wasn't the time for a random conversation.

"I know what you are doing, Rachel. You don't have to lie to me," Puck said surprising her.

"Oh really? Then what am I doing?" Rachel asked curiously.

"You're going to go see him," Puck said with emphasis on the word him.

"Who is this him?" Rachel asked trying to hide her fear.

"Mr. Schuester, or should I say, Will," Puck said with a smirk and puckered lips. Rachel tried to hide the horror she knew that would be shown on her face but it was too late.

"Remember, I told you right before Finn hit you that I knew something was up?" Puck asked.

Rachel thought back to a couple of days ago. She did remember but must have ignored him when she became too focused on fixing her nose.

"What do you want, Noah?" Rachel asked, knowing that this was going to lead to a bribe even if they were friends. She knew it was Noah operated.

"So it's true," Puck said with a smirk. "Why didn't you tell me? I thought we were friends or whatever," Puck asked.

"It's not something you want to go tell the whole school," Rachel responded before she could stop herself. She and Noah had indeed become friends but this was something that nobody could know about other than her and Will and she just broke that pact.

"True, but I wasn't going to tell anyone. I was the one that told you to go for it in the first place," Puck replied.

"I know, but what we have is very new and special and even if one person found out we would be over. You know how fast rumors spread around McKinley," Rachel explained remembering about Quinn and her pregnancy. She shuddered at the thought of her relationship spreading through the school like a wild fire. Everyone probably shunning them and calling Will a monster.

"I wouldn't tell anyone though," Puck said. "I don't spread secrets," he added interrupting her thoughts.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Noah, but I really have to finish getting ready," Rachel said as she began to make her way upstairs. Puck shut the front door and followed her upstairs.

"Are you going to his apartment?" Puck asked as he followed her.

"Why are you following me? And yes I am, he is cooking for me," Rachel said with a smile as she got to her room.

"What a sap. I didn't picture Mr. Schue to be a cook," Puck smirked.

"He is not a sap, okay? He is great, kind, understanding, loving," Rachel said but Puck cut her off.

"Okay, I don't want to hear about you and him doing the nasty," he said as Rachel rolled her eyes at him.

"I never said anything about that, Noah," Rachel said as she entered her bathroom.

"Well you probably better think about it though," he said as he sat on her bed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rachel asked as she finished her hair, running a few more brush strokes through it.

"Now you want my help," Puck said as he flipped through a magazine on her nightstand, pretending to be reading.

"No, I don't need it," Rachel said unsure of herself. She knew Noah was experience and could potentially offer her advice, she just wished he wasn't so crude all the time with it. Puck noticed and began to explain anyways.

"He's an older man, Rachel, and his track record with women leads me to believe that he hasn't gotten any in a while," Puck explained.

"So?" Rachel asked confused at where this was going. She knew Will had been through some hard times with women ever since his divorce but she didn't think he would pressure her into anything she wasn't ready for.

"He's only going to wait so long before he just gets tired of waiting and bails," he finished.

"Will's not like that," Rachel said as she thought of Noah's words in her head. "Besides we have only been dating for two weeks. It's too early to be thinking of that," Rachel said as she began to pick out her outfit.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter who he is or how long you have been together, it's a guy thing, trust me," Puck said from personal experience he wasn't exactly proud of. He then began to search through something in his wallet, something that he thought would be beneficial to Rachel.

"What are you looking for?" Rachel asked curiously as she watched him search through his pockets.

"This," Puck said as he pulled out a condom and put it on her nightstand. Rachel glared at him from behind her door as she changed.

"Is that a?" Rachel said in disbelief.

"My last one and I'm giving it to you," Puck said, thinking he was being thoughtful.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Noah, but that won't be necessary," Rachel stated.

"You never know," Puck said getting up from the bed. "Well, I got to go meet Lauren for dinner. Have fun on your date," Puck said with a wink as he left her room.

"Goodbye, Noah," Rachel said annoyed as she listened to him leave her house.

Rachel exited her bathroom and made her way over to her bed. She sat down and picked up the condom off of the nightstand. What was Noah thinking? They had only been dating for two weeks. She had barely even kissed him much when they were together since they were hardly alone with each other.

This was practically their first official date with each other and she wasn't going to ruin it by bringing up sex. She didn't even think she was ready to do that yet with Will and hoped that he would respect her boundaries.

She left the condom on the nightstand without thinking and looked up at the clock. She had ten minutes to get to Will's and it was a twenty minute drive. She knew she was going to be late so she sent him a quick text telling him she was on her way.

As she went downstairs, she decided to leave a note to her dad's and quickly explained that she would be out studying with Mercedes and Kurt for the night and that she would be home by her curfew.

It was approaching 6 as Rachel was in her car driving to Will's apartment. She glanced at the clock to notice that she was going to be a little late. She turned at an intersection and went another block or so before turning again into his lot.

She pulled into a visitor spot and checked her hair one last time in the mirror. She then grabbed her purse and headed up to his floor.

She tried to be as quick as possible and was practically out of breath when she reached his door. She took a minute to compose herself before knocking.

"Rachel, wow, hi," Will said as he scanned her outfit. She was wearing a black pencil skirt with a red top and black cardigan.

"Thanks, you look great yourself," Rachel said as she returned the favor. He wore dark blue jeans and white shirt with a matching dark blue suit coat. His shirt clung to his chest, giving his muscles a defined look. She also noticed he must have done his hair because it wasn't too curly, like it normally was at school.

"Please, come in," Will said as he ushered her in.

"Thank you," Rachel said as she stepped in and took off her shoes.

Will hung her purse and cardigan up on his coat rack and led the two into the kitchen.

"So dinner is almost ready," Will said as he stirred the pot a couple of times.

"What are we having? It smells delicious," Rachel said as she tried to peak over his shoulder.

"Spaghetti with vegan meatballs, a wedge salad and garlic bread and chocolate cake for dessert," Will said with a smile, proud at his cooking skills.

"You made vegan meatballs for me?" Rachel asked with surprise and love.

"Of course, I know you don't eat meat so, I thought why not?" Will replied.

"That's very thoughtful of you," Rachel said as she kissed his cheek. Will smiled and turned his head to turn the peck to a full kiss. Rachel, although surprised, deepened the kiss. She then suddenly felt her feet move across the floor as she realized Will was making their way to the kitchen island.

She was then lifted up and placed on the counter. With her on the counter, she was eye level with him and was able to grab onto his shoulders. Rachel, however, suddenly broke apart as it began to smell like something was burning.

"Will, I think your bread is on fire," Rachel said as Will planted kisses against her neck, lost in thought.

"What?" he asked as he made his way up her collarbone.

"The bread is burning," Rachel said as she pushed back, finally able to point the oven out to him.

"Damn," Will said as he rushed to shut it off. It was however, too late to save the bread. When he pulled it out, it was burnt to a crisp. He dropped the pan on the top of the stove and looked over to Rachel, embarrassedly.

"I hope you like it a little crunchy, Rach," Will said as Rachel began to laugh at him. Will pretended to be mad but couldn't hold it in and joined her. After about five minutes, they calmed down and began to fix the rest of the meal.

Dinner went smoothly with Rachel and Will taking turns in their discussions. As they were nearing to be done, Rachel suddenly had a question, one that she forgot to ask him earlier.

"Will?" Rachel asked as he was clearing the plates.

"Yeah," he said from the sink.

"What were you insecure about in high school?" Rachel asked.

"What?" Will asked surprised at her question.

"Everyone has something they are embarrassed about, I'm just curious to know yours," Rachel asked.

Will turned around to face her from the sink. He furrowed his brow as he rubbed his chin with his hand.

"I know this is going to sound silly, but I don't like my chin," Will admitted as Rachel stared at him in amusement.

"That's ridiculous, Will. I love your chin. I think it's cute," Rachel said with a smile.

"Well thanks, Rach," Will said with a smile himself.

"So if you want, I thought we could watch a movie?" Will asked as he pointed towards his living room.

"That sounds great," Rachel replied.

The two made their way to the living room. Rachel sat on the couch watching Will pick a movie though his list of movies. They decided on a comedy to keep the mood upbeat. After Will had put the movie in, he made his way to the couch and sat next to Rachel.

"I'm really glad we could do this tonight, Rachel," Will said as Rachel pulled her attention away from the opening credits.

"Me too, Will," Rachel said as she leaned her head into his chest. She found this position to be much more comfortable. Will looked down and smiled at her. He was amazed at how well she fit against his chest.

About half way through the movie, Will felt Rachel adjust next to him. He looked down to see that she was asleep. He sat and stared at her for a moment, thinking if he should wake her up. He decided not to as she looked peaceful in her position.

He then reached behind them and pulled the blanket off and threw it over them. He adjusted it so they were completely covered and warm.

The night was going better than perfect as Will sat and finished the movie. He loved that they could just be together and not feel like they were a dirty secret to the world. He hoped Rachel didn't mind that he couldn't take her out to a fancy restaurant or an extravagant concert, but somehow he knew that she was perfectly happy in his arms on his couch.

As the movie was ending, he felt Rachel shift again but this time he noticed her hand had dipped slightly lower, lower towards his groin. He looked down at her to see if she was indeed still asleep. She was and he was grateful that she didn't have to see him react the way he was.

He was getting hot and bothered as he thought of all the possibilities of her hand near his manhood. He shook his head though as they had only been dating a short time. He didn't think he was ready for that next step with Rachel. He knew they would be together someday, but he knew that was much farther in the future.

To end his predicament, Will turned off the television and removed the blanket. He then adjusted his position, hoping to wake her up. After a couple of movements, Rachel stirred awake and opened her eyes sleepily, realizing that she had slept through the movie.

"Will, the movie," Rachel said as she got up and rubbed her eyes.

"It's okay, Rachel. You needed your beauty rest," Will said with a grin.

"I'm sorry, I feel so embarrassed," Rachel said.

"How about we have some chocolate cake?" Will asked changing the subject.

"Okay," Rachel said as she followed him into the kitchen. Will pulled it out of the fridge and cut out two pieces. Rachel took a bite and thought of how good it tasted. She was amazed he had time to make this in the short time he had invited her over.

"This is so good, Will," Rachel said, taking another bite.

"Thanks," Will said. He laughed to himself as he knew Rachel thought he baked it. He in actuality bought it on the way home. He didn't have time to bake it and quickly had to think of something for dessert.

"So what were your dad's doing tonight?" Will asked as he realized she hadn't said anything about them.

"They were gone when I got home. They probably are out on a business dinner with a client," Rachel said. "Don't worry, I left a note saying I was with Mercedes and Kurt," Rachel explained, seeing the worried look on his face.

"I know it's hard to lie to them, Rachel, but we have to," Will said as he threw his plate away.

"I know, I know," Rachel said because she really did understand. She then thought back to Noah and wondered if she should tell him. She didn't want to ruin their night though and kept it to herself. She knew she would have to tell him but it was too soon.

"When do you have to be home? We could watch another movie?" Will asked.

Rachel glanced at the clock. It was only ten and she knew that her dad's came home around midnight or later on the weekends so she knew she would have time to get home.

"Okay, I promise to not fall asleep this time," Rachel said as she gave Will her plate. Will smiled as they once again made their way to the couch.

"I have some ideas to keep you awake," Will said once he had returned to putting the second movie in.

"Oh you do?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep, and I'll show you," Will said as he was about to lean in for a kiss. Rachel remembered how he teased her earlier at school and pulled away with a smirk on her face. Will looked at her stunned and then worried that he had crossed a line.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. I didn't mean to be so forward," he said as he backed up.

"Will, I say this with love, shut up," Rachel said as she leaned in and kissed him. She wrapped her hands around his neck and began to play with his curls. Will placed his hands on her sides, trying with all he hand not to move them and make her uncomfortable.

Rachel, feeling bold, moved so she was startling his lap. Will was surprised at her actions and pulled away for a brief second to look at her. She seemed confident but on the inside he knew she must be nervous. He gave her another kiss as he cupped her cheek in his hand, hoping to slow things down. He didn't want to start anything that he knew would be hard to stop later.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Will said lamely. Rachel looked at him confused but pushed herself off of him. She watched him walk away and down the hall and she wondered if she had done anything wrong.

While in the bathroom, Will looked at himself in the mirror with disgust. He couldn't believe he had stopped them and he knew that Rachel would think it was because of her.

He splashed some cold water on his face and headed back out to face her. He found her still thankfully on his couch, sitting with her legs folded under her.

"I'm back," Will said as he sat down. Rachel smiled at him. They sat in uncomfortable silence as they pretended to watch the movie.

"I'm sorry, Rachel," Will said as he suddenly shut the movie off.

"What?" Rachel asked confused.

"For stopping us. It's not that I didn't want to continue, I just didn't want things to go too far," Will explained. Rachel looked at him with a smile of relief because it wasn't because of her.

"I'm glad actually. I want to take that step someday with you, Will, but I'm not ready yet," Rachel said as she turned her attention to him.

"I understand," Will said as he grabbed her hands. "I don't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable," Will said as he kissed he palm.

"I'm so glad we can talk openly about this. I know you were once married and are experienced and have needs but," Rachel said as Will cut her off.

"Rachel, you don't have to do anything you're not ready for. I don't care if you're inexperienced. I'll wait for you," Will replied, being completely honest.

"Really?" Rachel asked, surprised.

"Yes, really," Will said with a chuckle. He would do anything for her and waiting for her was under that contract.

"Thank you, Will," Rachel said. Will nodded back while rubbing her hands soothingly.

"It's getting late. I should go home," Rachel said as she stood up. Will nodded and followed her to the door. He handed her the cardigan she had worn and her purse and stepped to open the door.

"Thanks for tonight, Will. I really mean that," Rachel said as she kissed his cheek.

"You're welcome. I want us to be able to spend as much time together as possible," Will said, while holding her hand.

"See you Monday?" Rachel asked.

"Of course, meet me in the choir room?" he asked. Rachel nodded and finally went out the door.

Rachel walked down the stairs and to her car. She had a smile on the whole way as she reflected about the entire night. Her night with Will was probably the best date she had ever been on and she couldn't wait to see him again. She felt like her and Will had made great progress and she smiled at how understanding he was. He was the perfect gentleman to her and she groaned at the thought of Monday being so far away.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey everyone! So sorry for the long wait. I've been super busy with pretty much everything at the moment as well as writing my two other stories. I hope to update all of them soon though since I am on spring break. Anyways, please read and review to let me know what you thought of it. Happy reading!**

Rachel arrived home that night with a true smile on her face. She couldn't have been happier with how her date had turned out with Will. It was like he could understand her no matter what and that was something Rachel always looked for in a guy. Will was the one person that she knew she could count on and would always be there for her, other than her dads of course.

High school boys didn't know how to be with women, Rachel realized, as she thought about her relationships with Finn, Puck and Jessie. With Will though, it was different. It was everything she had always hoped for when she thought about what kind of man she wanted to be with emotionally and physically. It may have been a rocky start for them, but after tonight, she knew they could be together as long as they were fully committed.

When Rachel pulled into the garage still in deep thought about her night and their future together, she noticed that her dads were home. Their green Subaru was in its usual place and Rachel pulled in next to it. She wondered how long they had been home and if they wondered where she had been.

She took a minute in her car to think of a lie if one needed to be told. This was the hard part about the relationship, Rachel noticed as she sat in the front seat contemplating what to say. Lying was not something she did but since she had begun this relationship with Will, it seemed like lying was all that she did. She knew it was necessary though to keep them safe, even if it meant lying to her dads.

When she had her excuse and composer, she slipped out of her car and walked in through the door that connected the garage to the kitchen.

Rachel sighed happily as she saw no sign of her dad's. She heard the dull roar of their TV and new that they were already in bed. She walked up the stairs and peeped through the door. Her dad Hiram was asleep but Leroy was still awake. He noticed Rachel peeking in and motioned her inside.

"Hi sweetie," he said quietly.

"Hi dad," Rachel said as she lent down and gave him a hug. "How was your night?" Rachel asked before he could ask of hers. She always hoped that it would be a distraction and that he would forget to ask what she had done for the night. However, it almost never worked in Rachel's favor.

"It was good. We had a nice time at dinner with our boss," Leroy said. "We are having him and his wife over in next week," he said happily.

"That's great," Rachel said, happy that her dad's had a good time.

"How was your night? Where were you out so late?" Leroy teased. He, for the most part, had forgiven Rachel when she had broken curfew at the party. He understood how teenagers were and knew that Rachel was just trying to make friends.

"Oh you know, just had a movie night with Kurt and Mercedes. The usual," Rachel said as casually as she could.

"That sounds like fun," Leroy replied, taking in no notice of her nervousness.

"It was, we are really getting along well," Rachel said. This was true. She was better friends with Kurt since he came back to McKinley and her and Mercedes were going to discuss the upcoming event of prom soon.

"Good, I'm glad. I'm glad you have friends you can hang out with, Rachel. You know, me and your daddy worry about you sometimes, especially after Finn broke up with you and when you went to that wild party," Leroy explained. "It was like you weren't even you."

"But thank goodness for Mr. Schuester," he added while Rachel froze in terror. Why would her dad bring up Will? Did he know something she didn't? She didn't think that was possible though as she never mentioned him at home other than glee related issues. She calmed down though when he began to speak again. "You're lucky to have a teacher like that, Rachel," he said. "One who cares so much about his students. Not all teachers are like that," he explained.

"Yeah, Mr. Schue is great," Rachel said keeping her personal thoughts about Will to herself. She instead went with a more simple reply that added more to her father's thoughts about the man she had just spent the entire evening with.

"Anyways, we're glad you are over Finn and are happy," Leroy said while he patted her hand.

"Thanks, dad, I am truly happy," Rachel said with a smile because she really was the happiest she had been in a while and it was all thanks to Will.

"I'm glad to hear," Leroy said as he looked over at Hiram who was still sound asleep next to him.

"Well, I better turn in before your daddy wakes up and is cranky. You know how he can be when he doesn't get his rest," Leroy said with a soft chuckle. Rachel nodded and leaned down for a hug goodnight.

"Goodnight, dad," Rachel said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight sweetheart, have good dreams," Leroy said with a smile.

Rachel smiled at him and left the room. She smiled at the fact that her conversation with her father ended up not being as horrible as she thought it would be. She knew Leroy was always the parent that was less strict with her and had an easier going personality than Hiram. If he had been awake it would have been a game of twenty questions on wondering where she was.

She knew she would get further questioned about it in the morning but for now, she was going to do her nightly routine and get ready for bed.

The rest of the weekend for Rachel was filled with quality time with her father's as well as cute, discreet, texts to Will. He had reassured her to meet him in his office Monday before school so they could talk about the rest of their weekend and the fact that Will had mentioned to her how much he missed her in his arms.

She smiled at his eagerness to see her and her heart swelled at the thought of him missing her. She was glad that his feelings for her were just as strong as she had for him.

Monday morning rolled around and Rachel quickly got ready. What was normally an hour or more of her getting ready, only took about a half hour. She planned to be at Will's office before him to surprise him.

She quietly snuck downstairs but was caught by Hiram.

"Where are you going so early, Rachel?" he asked confused. It was only 7:15. He knew Rachel's routine just as well as she did.

"Emergency early glee club practice, you know because nationals is coming up," Rachel said excitedly.

"Oh. Mr. Schuester sure likes to get you kids up early," Hiram chuckled. "This is the second time in the past couple of weeks," he added, remembering that Rachel left early a couple of days ago as well.

"Yeah, we want to be more prepared. It's only a couple of weeks away and we need more rehearsal time than just the afternoons," she explained.

"I wish we could see the performance, Rachel, but you know me and your dad will be away for business that weekend," Hiram said with a frown.

"I know, it's okay. I understand," Rachel said. She honestly was happy though that her parents weren't coming along. It meant that she could have more alone time with Will, only of course when they were done focusing on the group and the performance.

"Well have a good day honey," he said as he kissed her cheek. Rachel smiled at him and gave him a hug in return.

"You too," Rachel said as she finally headed towards her car in the garage.

The drive to school only took fifteen minutes today because of Rachel leaving earlier. The traffic was less than what is usually was because everyone was trying to get to school on time. Now, she was practically the only one on the road.

She pulled her car into the student parking lot and noticed that Will's blue clunker was already there. She smiled at his punctuality and quickly got out of her car. It was only 7:30. They had at least a half hour before the first bell.

Rachel decided to skip her locker to save time and headed straight towards Will's office. She walked in through the choir room and knocked on the door to his office.

Will immediately opened it and moved out of the way so Rachel could step in. He shut the door and proceeded towards his desk, stopping by Rachel to give her a kiss.

"Hi beautiful," Will said as he kissed her lightly on the lips, completely forgetting they were in his office and on school grounds. He just couldn't help it when he saw her and it was like he couldn't tell what was right or wrong anymore.

"Hi," Rachel replied, happily running her hand along his strong jaw line.

"How was the rest of your weekend?" he asked curious to know what she did.

"Pretty boring actually. I spent some time with my dad's, which was nice because we haven't done anything together in a while but nothing else. What about yours?" Rachel asked as she leaned on the front of his desk.

"That sounds nice. I didn't really do anything special either. I tried to think of songs for nationals, but nothing is popping up at me," Will stated as he moved to the space in between her legs, grabbing her hands gently in his.

"Well, I'm sure you will think of something and maybe a song that could give me a solo?" Rachel asked sweet and innocently. She smiled at him with her chocolate brown eyes but Will didn't cave.

"How about I think about it?" he said with a mischievous grin on his face, knowing that she was probably disappointed he didn't automatically give her one.

"Will!" Rachel said as she was about to complain, but Will thinking fast, cupped her cheek with his right hand and kissed her on her lips. Rachel smiled as it was a long and tender kiss.

"Let's not talk about nationals anymore," he said as he broke away from her. He gently maneuvered her towards him to where she could wrap her hands around his neck.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you all weekend," he said as he began to plant hot, heated, open mouth kisses against her skin. Rachel couldn't help but let a loud moan escape out of her throat. His lips were dancing across her skin, leaving hot, tingling, spots behind. It made her shiver for more.

"I missed you too," Rachel said as she clutched onto the collar of his shirt for support. Will then began moving his lips further down, to where they eventually met with her collar bone. He used his lips and teeth expertly as he began to lightly bite at her skin. He found her sweet spot and Rachel let out a gasp in surprise.

"Will," she muttered out through the dazed pleasure she was feeling. She began to move her hands until they were at Will hips. She grabbed onto them gently and pushed him forward into her. He let out a small grunt at the friction that was caused between them and Rachel smiled at him.

It amazed her at how comfortable they were doing this in his office, on school grounds. A couple of weeks ago she would not have believed it if someone had told her that her and Will Schuester would be fooling around in his office. Yet, here they were, so wrapped up in each other to notice what they were doing or where they were. The rules they made at the beginning of the relationship seeming to have disappeared.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" Will gruffly asked as he returned towards her lips. As soon as Rachel had parted her mouth towards his, he slipped his tongue inside and soon both tongues were tangling together for dominance.

Rachel couldn't respond but she was happy to know that he had the same reaction to her as she did to him. They were in such a state of need and desire for each other that all she could do to answer him was pant and moan. He seemed to be in the same state.

"Damn, the bell's going to go soon," Will said as he noticed that the clock on the wall was about to strike 8.

"Just a couple of more minutes," Rachel said eagerly. She wasn't done with Will yet and she didn't want to be left wanting him all day. The feeling in her stomach was strong and gave her butterflies but she knew it was because she was turned on.

"Rachel, we can't," Will said with all the strength he could. He needed to stop them before a student came to talk to him about a Spanish assignment, or before Emma came to ask him how his weekend was. They were all possible options that could happen once the bell actually had rung.

"Okay, fine," Rachel said as she lingered on his desk, not wanting to get down yet. She leaned forward and gave him one last kiss. This one however, was slow and passionate, rather than a hungry need for each other as the previous one's had been.

"See you in Glee club?" Will said when they finally broke apart.

"Of course," Rachel replied back with a mischievous grin on her face. She hopped off his desk and straightened her shirt. She combed out the parts of her hair that had formed tangled knots and made sure that nothing seemed out of place. She noticed Will fixing his shirt and adjusting his collar. He gave her a grin as he waved goodbye to her when she slipped out the door.

The bell had rung as Rachel was walking into the hallway. She headed off to first period English, which she forgot she had with Noah. She internally groaned to herself at the thought of what he was going to ask her about their date. She knew Noah, and if anything his questions were going to be filled with crude sexual content.

Before she headed to class though, she ran into Finn in the busy hallway. She hadn't talked to him much since the nose incident and felt kind of bad for ignoring him. It wasn't that she did it on purpose, but he was dating Quinn and she didn't like the glares she received from her whenever she walked by them.

"Hi, Rachel," Finn said as he greeted her.

"Hi, Finn, how are you?" she asked, curious to know.

"I'm doing okay. I've been ordered by Quinn though to start campaigning for prom king and queen," Finn replied with what looked like to Rachel, a frown.

"You two are running?" she asked in surprise, although it shouldn't have come as one. Finn and Quinn were the most popular couple in the school now. It was almost a given that they would win the title.

"Yeah, I'm not really into it, but I know Quinn will go crazy if she doesn't win the crown," Finn explained with a look of dread on his face. Rachel almost felt bad for him but remembered that he was the one that decided to get back together with her.

"Well good luck I guess," Rachel said unsure of what else to say. She didn't know what to think of the situation. She didn't dwell on it though as Finn wasn't her main priority anymore, Will was.

"Thanks. Well I have to go or Quinn will think I'm not campaigning hard enough. I still have to put all these stupid posters up and give out pins and stuff," Finn said as he looked down at the stack of posters in his hand.

"Right, I'll see you later in glee I guess," Rachel said as she smiled at him and continued on her way to English. Once in English, Rachel took her normal spot in the front, with Noah a few seats away from her.

"Hey Berry, how did it go Friday?" Puck asked with a smirk on his face. Rachel rolled her eyes at him and began to explain that nothing happened with what he assumed happened.

"Good actually," she responded. The less detail she told Noah, the less she didn't have to worry about it spreading around the school.

"Did you use it?" Puck asked with a mischievous grin.

"No, Noah. I told you he isn't like that," Rachel explained yet again that Will was willing to wait for her.

"Okay, okay. So what did you guys do then?" he asked. However, Rachel didn't get to respond as their English teacher walked in and began to start the lesson.

"We'll talk about this later," Rachel said quietly although she didn't know why. She wasn't even supposed to be talking about Will to anyone let alone Noah. She remembered their number one rule was that no one else could know about their relationship, but seeing as they broke the no kissing at school rule, maybe it was okay. Noah, after all, was the one to tell her to go for him in the first place.

She knew though, that she would have to tell Will about Noah sooner or later, or else he would be furious that he wasn't told the truth. Lying didn't sit well with Will after the Terri incident so Rachel knew she had to do it soon, before he found out any other way.

Rachel sat through the rest of English in silence as the class finally ended. She headed off in the direction of her locker with Noah close behind her. She wanted to avoid him at all cost and get to lunch like everyone else, but she failed to get away from him.

"Come on, Berry. Just tell me what happened and I won't ask any more questions," Puck begged. Rachel wondered to herself why he was so interested in knowing about her love life anyways. It wasn't that interesting seeing as he already knew the extent of her intimate encounters with Will.

"I can't, I'm sorry. I'm not even supposed to be talking to you about him anyways," Rachel explained in a hushed tone. The hallways were crowded, which meant that anyone could be listening. She didn't want another rumor outbreak like the last few weeks had provided with the school paper. Thankfully, she and Will were not a victim to its gossip, unlike almost everyone else in glee club.

"He doesn't even know that I know?" Puck asked in confusion. He would have for sure thought that Rachel would have told him right from the start. He knew that she didn't like to keep secrets and he knowing seemed like a pretty big secret.

"No, he doesn't and I'd like to keep it that way, for now anyways," Rachel stated. "He would not be happy if you knew and I don't want to ruin this just because you found out about us," Rachel added, while Puck processed what she just told him.

"Okay, I get you," Puck finally responded. "But I did help you remember?" he stated.

"Yes, you did. Thank you for giving me the confidence Noah, but I can't tell you anymore," Rachel finally said.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Well there's Lauren. I need to talk to her about prom over lunch. Did you know we plan on running for the court?" he asked with a smile.

"First Finn and Quinn and now you guys?" Rachel asked in surprise. Two couples running and both were in the glee club. She never thought that would have happened since glee was still on the bottom of the food chain.

"Yep, Lauren wants to win and shove it in Quinn's face so I'm going to help her. She can't do it without me," Puck said with a smirk as Lauren approached him and grabbed his arm.

"Well good luck," Rachel said again for the second time that day.

"Thanks, see you later Berry," Puck said as Rachel watched them walk away, hand in hand. She sighed to herself at the thought of everyone running for the prom court. It wasn't that she necessarily wanted the crown but more to be recognized by others. She was tired of being on the bottom of the chain and glee being treated like losers.

It didn't help either at the fact that Rachel suddenly realized she would be attending prom alone. It wasn't like Will could be her date and a chaperone at the same time. She however, just wished that she could at least dance with him. She knew though that her and Will could only be out in public if it was glee related and if everyone else was there.

Rachel, however, understood the sacrifices each had to make in order for their relationship to work. For her, prom was one of those sacrifices and it seemed pretty small compared to what Will had to lose.

"Hey Rachel," Kurt said as he approached her by her locker. His voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she turned her attention to him.

"Is everything okay? You look like a lost puppy," he said with a slight, amusing, chuckle.

"I'm fine, really," Rachel said putting her acting skills to the test and returning to her usual smiling self.

"Well good, so how was your weekend?" he asked changing the subject, seeing she didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering her.

"Nothing special, just stayed in mostly. How about you?" she asked back.

"Blaine and I went and saw a community play of the Sound of Music," Kurt said happily. "It's kind of our thing," he added.

"That's great. I'm really happy that you and Blaine are together," Rachel said with a smile. She was glad that her friend had finally found someone that he could be happy with. She knew life at McKinley was tough on Kurt with the bullying, but since he was back, it seemed not as bad. Maybe it was because he had Blaine for support. She knew what that was like with having been with Will.

"Thanks, we are getting along really well," Kurt said happily.

Rachel nodded at him in understanding and then returned to her sullen look. She hoped Kurt wouldn't notice, but he did.

"Listen Rachel, I know it must be hard to see Finn with Quinn together again but you can do so much better than him," Kurt said to her with a half-smile, trying to make her feel better about being alone.

"How can you say that about your own stepbrother?" Rachel asked in amusement.

"Trust me, I love Finn like family but he's not right for you," Kurt explained. "You need someone who can keep up with you and treat you like you deserve," he added. "Finn's selfishness doesn't cut it," he finished.

"I know, but it's just hard you know?" Rachel said playing into his assumption about Finn. She couldn't tell him about Will so she had to play along that she still had feelings for Finn and was upset about being with Quinn. "I am happy though, Kurt, really" she added to let him know that she was okay and that he shouldn't worry.

"Well okay then. Why don't we have lunch together today?" Kurt asked as he watched Rachel load her books into her bag.

"Okay, maybe we can find Mercedes as well and talk about prom," Rachel said as she finally grabbed her lunch.

"Yeah that would be great. We can discuss what we are going to wear," Kurt said enthusiastically but was cut off by a familiar voice coming down the hallway.

"Hi, Rachel, Kurt," Will said to them as he came around the corner, heading towards the teachers' lounge. Rachel noticed he had his lunch in hand as well. She longed for the days were they could eat lunch in public without anyone staring at them.

"Hi, Mr. Schuester," Rachel said as normally as she could. She couldn't help but smile though as she saw him wink at her. It was just subtle enough to where she would see it and Kurt wouldn't.

"Hi," Kurt said with a wave.

"Having a good day?" he asked as he finally reached them.

"The usual," Kurt responded.

"Same," Rachel said.

"Good, see you both in glee club later. I got some errands I need to attend to during lunch," Will said as he waved goodbye. His eyes lingered on Rachel's a little longer than they should but Kurt didn't seem to notice.

"Bye," Kurt said as Rachel added hers in as well.

Rachel watched him walk away towards the teacher's lounge and couldn't help but stare at him. He was so fit and attractive that his body was hard not to look at.

"Rachel? Hello?" Kurt said as he waved a hand in front of her face. "Ready to go?" he asked her.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just distracted by something," Rachel said as she turned to join him down the hall.

Lunch had been peaceful with Kurt and Mercedes. Their discussion of prom made them more excited for the event, except for Mercedes. Rachel noticed that she seemed upset but didn't want to mention anything to her and embarrass her.

After lunch, they parted ways and went to their last afternoon class. The last class of the day always went slowly but today seemed extra slow. Maybe because Rachel was dying to see Will in glee club because she hadn't seen him since lunch.

The class finally ended though and she quickly made her way to the choir room. She walked in to notice several members already there and more trickling in behind her. They all talked while they waited for Will.

It was ten minutes into rehearsal when he finally came in.

"Sorry I'm late guys. I had to speak with Figgins about glee club," Will explained as he took his spot in the front of the room.

"Nothing bad I hope?" Tina asked.

"No, actually. He wants us to perform at prom," Will said with a smile, thinking the others would be happy about this.

"You lie, that is bad news," Puck groaned in the back. "We want to dance and enjoy our dates," he added while several other members agreed.

"I know guys, but he is paying us to perform. That money goes to our trip for nationals," Will explained. "We need the money." Silence passed as everyone began to agree that performing at prom was what was best for nationals.

"Okay, so, here's what I want this week's assignment to be," Will said as he turned to the white board. He wrote prom in bold letters across the board.

"Find songs that fit the prom scene. Love ballads, dance songs, anything that fits to make the night even more magical," Will explained. Some excitement started to flutter around the room as Rachel just sat there with the same sullen look she had on earlier. Will noticed and took note of it to talk to her later.

"To make this easier for you all, you are all going to decided who performs what at the dance and take shifts performing," he added. "There will be plenty of time to dance with your dates," Will said as he again looked over at Rachel. He hoped it wasn't noticed by the others though.

"Now get to work with song selection," he said as he broke his stare and wandered over to the piano.

In about thirty minutes, the group had selected enough songs to perform at the dance. Mercedes and Santana were going to sing some Abba and Sam, Artie and Puck were going to sing Friday by Rebecca Black. Rachel had chosen her song as well and decided it was going to be Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri.

"Great job today guys," Will said from the front. "We'll start working on these songs soon," he said as the group gathered their things to leave.

"Rachel, can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked at the piano. Rachel nodded at him and made her way towards him once everyone was gone.

"Are you okay, Rach? You seemed distracted during rehearsal?" Will asked with concern.

"It's nothing, really. I just wish you could go to prom with me as my date and not my chaperone," Rachel told him as Will took her hand in his, holding them gently.

"I know, and I know this must be hard for you to see all your friends with dates, but I'm still going to be there," Will said trying to make her see the light of the situation.

"It won't be the same though. I can't dance with you out there," Rachel said as she tried not to let a tear fall down. She knew she was overreacting but prom was supposed to be special and for Rachel it didn't feel like it was going to be special.

"I can tell you this," Will started to say. "I'm going to do my best to make the night as perfect for you as possible even if I can't claim to be your date, okay?" he asked with hope.

"Okay, thank you, Will. You always try so hard to make me happy," Rachel said as she stroked his cheek in her hand.

"You deserve it, Rachel," Will said as grabbed her hand in place and held it against his face for a moment longer.

"I feel better now," Rachel said with a smile.

"Good, now let's practice your song," Will said as he sat at the piano. Rachel nodded at him and began to sing as he counted her off. Will watched in amazement as Rachel sang through it almost perfectly. He couldn't wait to hear it live at prom and that was just one of the many things that would make the night so perfect.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey everyone! So…I'm sorry for the extremely long wait for this chapter. Real life and certain things wrong with my computer have kept me busy. I'm back though and ready to write again! Hope you all still like this but understand that I have probably lost readers. Oh well, hope you enjoy anyways! Please read and review!**

The week of prom had arrived and Rachel dreaded walking through the hallways of McKinley that Monday morning. She had to see Finn and Quinn continuously campaign around the school as well as Noah and Lauren. She wasn't necessarily mad or jealous of them, she just wished she could parade Will around on her arm and show everyone how great he truly was.

She knew it was a sacrifice she had to make in order to make their relationship work though, and she remembered that Will had promised to make the night special, even if he couldn't technically be her date.

After a long and dragging week with pins being pushed in her face and the constant look of Quinn's face staring down at her on every wall, it was finally Friday, the day before the big dance. All glee clubbers were in the choir room doing a dress rehearsal for the dance, running through their numbers to make sure they were perfect enough to perform. She had hers down and was now talking with Mercedes and Kurt about their plans for the night.

They confirmed about meeting at Breadsticks before heading to the school as well as confirming who would be joining their group. Kurt had invited Blaine who decided he would be joining as well as Sam, surprisingly for Mercedes. She beamed happily at her friend's dates and was proud that they had found someone special. It pained her though, as she was the only one in their group without a date, which Kurt had noticed.

"Rachel, you okay?" he asked as Rachel directed her attention off of Will helping Finn dance and back to him. His body moved so gracefully and she frowned at the thought that she wouldn't be able to dance with him in public.

"I'm perfectly fine," Rachel said as normal as she could, even though she knew her face held a different look. She busied herself as she looked through her sheet music. She could feel their eyes still on her, but she didn't want to look up and see their pity faces staring back at her.

"I know it must be hard to not have a date, but we are all going to be together no matter what. It'll be fun," Kurt said as he did his best to comfort his distressed friend. Rachel showed him a small smile and knew that he was right. Prom was still going to be fun, just not as magical as she had always dreamed.

"I know and I really am happy that you guys have dates. I just wish I had someone to bring," Rachel said as she saw Will glance over to her with a smile. She gave him a small smile back and Will scrunched his forehead up in confusion. He knew this week had been hard on her and that she was still upset about him not being able to escort her to the dance. He wanted too, more than anything, but he couldn't. It was too dangerous and too many people to suspect and gossip about. He had an idea though that he knew would make her smile. He just needed to plan it perfectly.

"Well, that's it for today guys. Let's meet tomorrow about half hour early so the first group can warm up before the dance. See you guys tomorrow and good job today! Tomorrow will be fun!" Will clapped excitedly as he watched his kids leave the room with smiles, all happy with their song choices.

"Rachel, can I speak with you?" Will said as he watched her leave with Mercedes and Kurt. They stopped and Rachel gave them a look to go on without her. They nodded and Kurt said he would text her later to talk about dresses and makeup.

"How are you today?" Will asked, curious to know what she was truly thinking about prom. He saw the faces she was making throughout rehearsal and previously in the week.

"I'm okay. It's been hard, but I'll get over it. I mean it's just a dance," Rachel said as she joined him at the piano, arms leaning against the top. Will frowned at her as he remembered his own prom and how Terri was so excited for it. He knew that it was a special moment for a girl to go to her prom and he sighed as he couldn't do anything more for her than what he already had planned.

"I know I can't pick you up or anything, Rach, but I will be there the moment you walk in the choir room. Maybe come a little early if you can?" Will asked with a smirk, hoping to get some alone time with her before they went to the dance. The week had been busy and they hadn't had much time together since their date almost more than a week ago. Their date had gone so well that he was starting to miss her more every time he couldn't be around her. That was a sign that he knew things were progressing between them and getting serious.

Rachel smiled back, knowing his motives. "I'll try, but, I'll be with Kurt and Blaine and Mercedes and Sam. It might look suspicious if I leave in the middle of dinner," Rachel explained. Will nodded in understanding, trying to think of another plan that would let them have their moment throughout the night and where he could finally tell her the three little words that he knew she would love. He felt it was time, and knew that tonight would be the perfect moment to tell her.

"That's okay. Maybe wait for me after? I can take you home," Will said as he watched a smile reappear on her face while he felt one grow on him as well.

"That could be arraigned," Rachel said as she leaned over and kissed his shoulder through his shirt. Will smiled and returned the favor by placing one on top of her head. She nuzzled in closer to him and rested her head against his chest, wrapping hear arms around his strong middle.

She loved how protective she felt when she was in his hold. It was like anything could happen at any moment but she knew that he would be there to save her and protect her. She looked up and saw that he was looking down at her, eyes full of love.

She leaned up and kissed him lightly. Her feet didn't have time to touch the ground though as Will pulled her back up into him, making the kiss deeper. She grabbed onto his neck and collar while she felt herself being lifted onto the piano.

This was a new feeling for her. Being like this at school, in the middle of the choir room, on the piano. It was so daring, but she couldn't deny how much Will's kisses were turning her on. She clutched harder at his shirt and pulled him closer, to where her chest was pressing up against his.

Will moaned as his chest made contact with her breasts. They had never done this before, not even in the safety of his apartment. He liked it though and was willing to see how far things would go, even if they were on school grounds.

Rachel adjusted and let his body fit between her legs. She wrapped them tightly around his hips to where he couldn't move if he had tried, not that he had wanted to leave though. He moaned hotly in her ear as her legs dug deeper into his thighs. He had to lean forward just to support himself from falling to the ground.

"Rach," Will panted out as he kissed below her ear, moving lower to her neck and then resting on her collarbone, occasionally glancing up at her to make sure it was okay, that he hadn't gone too far.

Rachel looked back at him and saw the darkness of his lustful eyes shine down on her. He was turned on and she couldn't hide the truth that she was too. It, however, wasn't the time or the place to be doing the things they had gotten themselves into. She wanted to be secure and have the safety of the privacy of his apartment if they were to continue this. If she would allow him to continue, which was something else she still was not sure about. They had progressed in this area, but she still didn't think she was ready to take the final step. She let out a sigh, and finally pushed back, seeing the confused look on Will's face appear.

"What's wrong, Rach?" Will asked in shorten breaths, as he tried to regain composure. He saw the worry in her eyes and he knew that he had gone too far.

"I'm sorry, for this," Will said as he looked into her swollen, thoroughly kissed, lips. "It's not that. I actually enjoyed it," Rachel said with a blush as Will looked at her a bit surprised.

"Then what?" he asked, sensing there was still a problem.

"I'm, I'm, not ready yet, to take that step," Rachel said as she saw Will stare at her in confusion.

"It's okay, you know that I'm not going to be mad about waiting, Rach," Will said with a smile, as he still saw the embarrassment shine through her eyes.

"I know, I just wanted to stop things before they got too far," Rachel said as she looked at herself on top of the piano, realizing how far they had already gone.

"I mean we are still in school," she added with a slight look of amusement on her face. Will smirked back at her but knew she was right. They put themselves in a very dangerous situation that would have been hard for them to make an excuse about if they were to be caught.

"You have a point," Will said as he continued to lean back in closer to her, cupping her face with his hand, gently sliding it over her cheek.

"So, see you tomorrow?" Rachel asked as she knew she had to be home soon. Rehearsal had already ended a half hour ago and she knew how her dads were about curfew. They still didn't fully trust her yet after her behavior at the glee club party.

"I'll be here," Will said with a smile, while Rachel hopped down from the piano. She grabbed her bag, and turned back at Will, who was still wearing a playful smirk. She winked back at him, and saw him blush.

She smiled to herself as she left the school, a little more excited that the dance would end up being perfect.

Saturday morning rolled around and Rachel was awake early with excitement. She knew it was early but she already had begun to get her dress out as well as her makeup. She told Kurt she would meet him and Mercedes at noon to start working on their appearances.

"Today's the big day! Are you excited?" Hiram asked as Rachel made her way downstairs, almost ready to leave.

"More than you know," Rachel said with a smile because she truly was excited to go to prom and dance with her friends. She was also dying to know what Will had planned for her as he hadn't dropped a clue all week. He was very good at keeping secrets.

"That's good, we're happy you are going Rachel, even if you don't have a date. We actually think that is a good thing though," Leroy said with a smile, proud that his daughter was being independent on a night like prom.

"I would have liked to have had a date, but I guess it doesn't matter as long as I know that I'm still going with friends," Rachel said as she nodded back in agreement.

"Friends are the most important people to go with honey. You don't have to worry about the pressure of prom if you went with someone like Finn," Hiram said while Rachel tried hard not to roll her eyes at him. She was long over Finn but her daddies occasionally brought him up, thinking she still had feelings for him.

"Daddy, I'm perfectly capable of saying no if I were put in that position," Rachel said maturely, knowing how Will felt about the situation as well. They respected each other.

"Well good because we just want you to have a fun time is all," Leroy said, adding in.

"I know you do, and it will be," Rachel said with a smile.

"Your curfew is still twelve thirty though, Rachel," Hiram said, reminding her that her curfew was still early because of the glee club party she went to about a month or so ago.

"I know, I'll be home. You can trust me," Rachel said as she saw the two men before her smile down at her.

"We know you will be, because you remember your punishment from last time, right?" Hiram said in a warning tone.

"Yes, I know. I'm not going to do anything that would jeopardize me competing at Nationals," Rachel said reassuringly, because she was not planning on getting drunk at the dance.

"Great, have a fun time then sweetheart," Leroy said as he walked over and placed a kiss on her head.

"I will," Rachel said as she glanced at the clock. "I'm going to be late to meet Kurt and Mercedes. I'll talk to you later," Rachel said as she ran back upstairs to grab her dress and accessories.

She came back down ten minutes late and rushed through to the garage.

"Call if you need anything," Hiram shouted as Rachel exited through the door.

"I will, no need to worry," Rachel replied back as she finally made her way to the car and out the drive way.

Thankfully for her, Kurt only lived a couple of blocks away. She arrived in fifteen minutes and was greeted with Finn at the door, causing Rachel to slightly frown.

"Rachel," Finn said, surprised to see her. Kurt didn't tell him that she was coming over and he looked at her nervously. He didn't know why though as he was over her and with Quinn. That's what he tried to convince himself of at least.

"Hi, Finn," Rachel said awkwardly with her hands clutching her dress tightly, feeling the tension between them rise.

"Come on in," he said as he moved out of the way. "Kurt should be upstairs," Finn said as he watched Rachel enter, eyeing her dress while picturing what it would look like on her, although he already knew it would be stunning.

"That's a nice dress," he said still staring at it in her arms.

"Thank you," Rachel said simply, because she didn't know what else to say about it. She noticed Finn still staring at her and she eyed him suspiciously. She didn't like the look he was giving her and hoped that Kurt would come downstairs soon to save her.

"So, you guys are going to Breadsticks too?" Finn asked while Rachel tried not to let the dread show through at his confession. She had no idea Finn and Quinn would be there as well.

"Yeah, we have reservations at six. I didn't know you two were going?" Rachel asked as Finn nodded at her. Breadsticks didn't seem like a place Quinn would want to have gone to on the night of prom.

"I can't really afford to take Quinn anywhere else, so she agreed to Breadsticks," Finn said rubbing his neck awkwardly. His motion reminded Rachel of Will and how Will would always do that when he was nervous or uncomfortable. She pushed the comparison between the two out of the way though as she didn't want to think of Finn when she had Will.

"Oh, well hope you guys have fun tonight," Rachel said but was thankfully interrupted by Kurt.

"Rachel, is that you?" he asked from the top of the stairs.

"Yeah it's me," Rachel said as she directed her attention from Finn to the voice at the stairs. "Well come on up. Mercedes is already here," he said while Rachel began to make her way past Finn.

"I'll be there in a minute," she said as she felt Finn's eyes still on her.

"See you tonight," Finn said as then quickly left, leaving a confused Rachel behind. She, however, continued to make her way up the stairs and into Kurt's bedroom, where she found Mercedes sitting on the bed, arguing with Kurt about which eye liner to use.

"You have to use black. It will make your eyes pop," he said as Rachel watched him widely use his hands to make a popping gesture.

"Rachel, thank goodness you're here," Mercedes said as she playfully glared at Kurt.

"Hi guys," Rachel said as she set her stuff down, trying to hide her confusion about Finn.

"What's wrong?" Mercedes asked as she saw the confused look on her face.

"Oh, nothing, I just didn't know Finn and Quinn were going to Breadsticks too," Rachel said, trying not to show her glare.

"Just ignore them," Kurt said. "We'll make it so you can't see them," Mercedes added.

"Thanks guys," Rachel said with a smile that reflected her gratefulness towards her friends.

"So, ready to get a make-over?" Kurt asked, while Rachel stared at him unsure but agreed happily.

Over the next two hours, it was Kurt applying make-up and Mercedes doing her hair. It was a long process and she hoped that it was almost over. She had never spent that much time getting ready for anything. If it turned out well though, maybe she would start doing it more often.

"Okay and all done," Kurt said as he applied the last bit of pink eye shadow on Rachel's lids.

"Girl, you look hot," Mercedes said in her diva tone as she spun Rachel around in her chair. Rachel gasped at her reflection. She was stunned at the work they had done and she had to agree that she looked beautiful. Her hair was up in a bun, but still had slightly curled wisps around her face, giving her a youthful look. She knew Will would be surprised when he saw her tonight and she couldn't wait to see his reaction.

"Okay, Mercedes, you're turn," Rachel said happily as she got out of the chair.

Another two hours later, Mercedes was finished and both changed into their dresses and Kurt his tux. They had just enough time to meet everyone else at Breadsticks and left the Hummel house immediately.

Dinner went smoothly and Rachel found it easy to join in on the conversations between the two couples at the table. She was also placed in a chair that would not allow her to glance over at Finn and Quinn, which she was grateful for. After dessert, it was time to head to the school.

"Everyone ready?" Kurt asked excitedly, while the others nodded at him.

"Great, let's go!" he said as they piled out to the car once again.

Once at the school the gang made their way to the choir room to warm up, yet Rachel was most excited to see Will. As he said he would be, he was already in the room when they entered.

"Looking good guys," Will said to all of them, but when his eyes landed on Rachel, his jaw dropped, causing her to smirk at him.

"You look gorgeous," he whispered as she made his way past him.

"Thank you," Rachel said as a blush appeared on her cheeks, hoping the others wouldn't notice.

"So, first group, ready to hit the stage?" Will asked as he cleared his throat of the dryness that Rachel had caused him to feel.

"Yep," Sam, Puck and Artie said as they began to walk towards the gym, pumped up with energy for their performance.

"Great, have fun guys. As for everyone else, go out and dance!" Will said excitedly.

"Mr. Schue, I would like to run some ideas by you," Rachel said as she watched Mercedes, Kurt and Blaine walk out, not noticing she stayed behind. Will watched the others leave as a smirk played on his lips.

"You look absolutely amazing," Will said as he wrapped his arms around her, taking in her beauty. He loved how she could look young and full of life but still appear to be mature and independent.

"Thank you, you do too," Rachel said admiring his black tux. She didn't think he would have dressed up but was glad that he did. He looked absolutely handsome with his hair slightly curled.

"I know I'm supposed to be in the gym, but I couldn't resist seeing you before the dance," Rachel added, looking deeply into his eyes.

"Well, I'm glad you did," Will said as he placed a kiss on top of her forehead. "I hope this night turns out special for you, Rachel. You deserve it," Will added, lightly cupping her cheek with his hand.

"I hope so too," she replied as she leaned into his touch. "I better get going," Rachel said as she knew Kurt and Mercedes would be waiting for her inside, probably wondering where she had gone.

"Okay, see you out there," Will said with a smile as he let go. Rachel smiled at him one last time before fully leaving the choir room, a smile still tugging at her lips as she walked the hallways.

"Rachel, wow," she heard a voice say behind her. She turned around and saw Finn, jogging to catch up to her. "Finn," Rachel said, surprised to see him out in the hallway rather than inside the gym dancing with Quinn.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked as he walked next to her.

"I had to use the bathroom and get some air," he said with a slightly distressed look. Rachel guessed that it was Quinn causing his troubles. She was probably worse tonight because it was the last minute to campaign before the crown would be named.

"You okay?" Rachel asked seeing his stress.

"I'm fine, just Quinn being Quinn," Finn said as he took a deep breath.

"Well, good luck tonight," Rachel said as she continued on her way to the dance, leaving behind a still distressed Finn. She knew he would be fine though and didn't want his stress to make her night not special.

Once she was out his sight and into the gym, she smiled happily at its transformation. Many of the students were disappointed to find out that the gym was going to be their prom location. The committee however, really made it an effort for it to look special.

She spotted Kurt and he waved her over to a table they were all sitting at.

"What took you so long?" he asked while the others listened, interested in her reply.

"I was just talking with Mr. Schue about my song," Rachel said, thinking it was the most logical explanation. "How's the dance?" she asked before any more questions of where she had been could be asked.

"It's not bad actually," Blaine said with a smile. "Let's dance," Mercedes added while they all got up to the floor, Rachel happily joining.

While dancing, Rachel took turns dancing with Kurt and Mercedes goofily while they then went back to Blaine and Sam whenever a slow song came on.

The slow songs were the hardest as Rachel stood awkwardly in the middle of the floor. She excused herself and made her way to their table, where she could rest her feet and watch the happy couples on the floor.

In the corner of the room she spotted Will, who was staring back at her with a smile. Although Rachel didn't know it, he was up next to perform after Santana and Mercedes, and Will was running through his song in his head.

He didn't tell anyone he was performing, as he wanted Rachel's reaction to be pure. He picked the song out a couple of days ago and had been practicing it on his own for the whole week.

When Santana and Mercedes were done with their duet, Will made his way to the stage. He picked up a guitar that was left by the band members and he sat down on the stool. Rachel stared at him in surprise, as did the rest of the glee clubbers

"Hey everyone, I hope you guys are having a great time tonight. This song I'm about to sing has a special message to a special person and I hope that they like it," Will said as he cleared his throat, beginning to strum some chords to check the tuning.

As Will sang Faithfully by Journey, Rachel was hypnotized by his voice, his passion, his emotion. Everyone else seemed to slow dance as if nothing was different, as if their teacher was not pouring his soul into a song for her.

She felt the tears prickle out of her eyes in happiness because Will had so much love for her as she did him. He may not always be able to show it, but signing this song tonight, in front of everyone proved it.

Will kept his eyes on Rachel, occasionally closing them as he let the song take over him. It was his personal favorite Journey song that now he would hope, would be theirs.

He was coming to the end of the song, singing out the last few words, letting them fill the gym.

_I'm forever yours, ever yours,_

_Faithfully_

As he sang the last line, the gym erupted into applause and cheers, some surprised to know that Will could sing that good, others enthralled by his guitar playing. He only cared about Rachel though and her reaction. He could see through the mass of students that she had tears in her eyes and he knew that his song choice did him justice.

He stood on stage a moment longer, setting down the guitar while the other glee clubbers took the stage. He was praised as he stepped down the stairs by his colleagues and congratulated by random students he had never taught.

"Will, that was incredible," Emma said to him as she appeared behind the drink table, surprising him since he hadn't seen her much lately. He, in fact, hadn't talked to Emma since he broke up with Holly because she was married to Carl and that was months ago.

"Emma, thanks," Will said, trying to make his way over to Rachel, still across the room.

"I've been meaning to talk to you, Will, it just never seemed like the right time to get your attention though," Emma said as Will fidgeted awkwardly in front of her.

"Well I've been pretty busy with getting the kids prepared for Nationals," Will said, causally because Nationals was coming up in a two weeks and he was working them hard.

"That's good, but I, I um, have some pretty big news to tell you," Emma said but Will desperately wanted to leave the conversation so he could go talk to Rachel. He had no interest at the moment to talk to Emma even if it had been a month since he last saw her. She had made it clear that she had moved on from him when she started dating Carl.

"Carl and I are divorced," Emma said suddenly, directing Will's attention back to her, almost making him gasp. "We have been for a month or so," Emma added seeing his confusion.

"I don't understand," Will said confused on why she was telling him this now, on prom night, when it had happened a month ago.

"It wasn't working and I realized I still have feelings for, well for you," Emma said, completely shocking Will, leaving him speechless. When he decided to sing for Rachel at prom, this wasn't the reaction he had thought he would get after his performance.

"Listen, Emma, I, I have to go, okay? I'm sorry but maybe we can talk about his later?" Will said, finding his voice again as he watched Emma's eyes swell up with tears. He knew he was hurting her, but he couldn't talk about his right now, not when he had just sung that song to Rachel.

"I'm sorry, I just thought, with the song and everything," Emma said as she began to walk away, feeling completely embarrassed and humiliated.

"Emma, wait," Will called out but it was too late for her to hear him. He cursed under his breath but decided that he would have to deal with her later. Tonight, was all about Rachel, and he had to find her to see her shining face at him.

After another five minutes of looking through the gym, he found her, sitting at a table drinking some water.

"Rachel, having a good time?" he asked casually, as he took a seat a few away from her to keep a respectable distance.

"Yes, thank you," Rachel said keeping her eyes on the floor so others wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary going on between the two of them. "I mean it," she added hoping her emotion would be able to shine through so Will would be able to truly grasp her love.

"Meet me during the court, in the choir room?" Will asked as he saw her head nod yes in response. Will smiled to himself and then continued to do his best and chaperone the rest of the dance as he was supposed to.

"Well, Berry, wasn't that a nice song?" Puck commented, coming up from behind her and taking a seat.

"Noah, don't start," Rachel said as she turned her attention towards him.

"What? I was being serious. I know that was for you," he said as Rachel stared at him, unable to hide her smile.

"So?" Rachel asked, trying to see his point.

"He loves you," Puck said with a smirk. Rachel stared at him in awe. She knew he was right, but admitting it out loud was something they had yet to do. They had always said, "I care about you" or "you're special to me." Never the three big words everyone wants to hear in a relationship.

"You guys haven't said it yet, have you?" Puck asked as he saw the look on Rachel's face.

"Well, not technically," Rachel confessed.

"I bet you will tonight," Puck said with a smirk.

"That's our business, Noah," Rachel said, trying to keep her voice low, even though the music was loud enough to cover their voices.

"Whatever, you know it's coming," he said as he began to stand up, as well as Rachel.

"I need to get ready for my song," she said as he rolled her eyes at her and walked away.

Rachel made her way backstage and began to prepare Jar of Hearts. She was the last singer before the court and then the dance would be over. She could then meet Will in the choir room and they could have their dance together. It would be the perfect end to a surprisingly perfect night.

She got up on stage after Finn and Quinn had finished their duet, and congratulated them on their performance, although she always thought their harmonies didn't mix together as well as hers and Finns.

She pushed that thought out of her mind though and began to sing. As she sang, she scanned the crowd for Will and she found him in the back of the gym with Coach Sue, guarding the punch bowl to make sure it wasn't getting spiked like it always did.

After a couple of minutes, her song was coming to an end and Principal Figgins was making his way to announce the court. She stepped off stage and watched as Finn, Quinn, Puck, Lauren, Dave Karofsky and Santana made their way to the stage.

As Quinn and Puck's names were announced as winners, Rachel stood their surprised, but nonetheless, happy. She then began to make her way to the choir room, where she could at last be in Will's embrace without others seeing. Everyone would be watching the last dance and would not notice her slip out of the gym.

She saw Will watching her and a moment later, he excused himself, claiming to go use the restroom.

"What a night, huh?" Will asked as he entered the room, a couple of minutes after Rachel. Rachel smiled at him and nodded in return.

"Your song was beautiful," Rachel said as he began to walk closer to her, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, it was all for you. Was your night perfect?" Will asked as they started to sway to a silent song, making their own rhythm to follow.

"It is now," Rachel said as she leaned her head into his chest, while Will tightened his hold on her, slowly rocking them back and forth.

"Rachel," Will said after a couple minutes of silence.

"Yeah?" Rachel mumbled out, too comfortable in his grip to let go and look at him.

"I love you," Will said as he looked down at her small frame against his chest. Rachel looked up at him with a smile of pure joy. He said it. He finally admitted it and Rachel's heart swelled to where she couldn't contain her excitement.

"I love you too," Rachel said as she felt Will move his lips softly over hers. It was sweet and gentle; making it the perfect end of a perfect dance to where Rachel had never thought was possible.


End file.
